Revival
by Hanyou Lothuial
Summary: COMPLETE! 3rd Kokitsune saga. On King Enma's orders, Chitsuko is in Makai. New friends, new surprises... and a new reason to be afraid. An overlooked enemy seeks the fox's demise, and the story behind the hanyou's painful past is finally told...
1. Prologue Chitsuko's Absense

Yay! Prologue of Saga 3! ^^ I'm just speeding along with this story, aren't I? And to think I started writing Chitsuko's story only about six months ago in March 2003... ;D  
  
I promise you this saga will be full of surprises and odd plot twists, just like all of my other stories! And it certain will have it's fair share of death and emotional pain too... T.T But then again, what about our dear Chit-chan's life ISN'T painful in some miniscule way?  
  
I would have posted this earlier, but The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers came out Tuesday (August 26) and I went to the mall at 9 a.m. with Leije and Pippin and ended up being one of the first ones to get it! w00t! =^^= And then they came over and we watched it and all of the special features... ^^;;  
  
I know this prologue is realtively short compared to my other ones... but if I wrote any more in the prologue I'd be giving so much away! ^^;;; Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this story, one of the more potent chronicles in the life of the infamous Hanyou Kohana.  
  
This story is more about sacrifice (even though all of my stories deal with sacrifice). But this is sacrifice of a different kind. Not just physical sacrifice, but emotional and mental. In the human mind, there is always a part that is concerned with nothing but oneself; nothing else matters, just that one is always happy and safe and content. But there is also a part that is selfless; it would rather that one be moderately pleased and have those aorund them be happier. Saga 3, Revival, shows the stress on Chitsuko's mind and the war between these two parts of her: while one side of her wants to run back to Ningenkai as soon as possible, almost blowing off her punishment and being with her friends (especially Kurama), the other side had codemned her to stay away, self-banishing herself, in a way, to Makai, where she feels that she can lead all danger and harm away from her loved ones. It is this factor that cause Chitsuko's emotions to go awry and become more confusing when a certain person unexpectedly makes their way into her new life...  
  
This is also a story about friendship. The strong bonds between Chitsuko and the ones who love her might just be what saves our dear kokitsune's life...and sanity...in the end. The deeper our darling Chit-chan sinks into trouble, the more her allies and friends are tested: just how much is she worth to them, and is she worth saving after all the suffering that has happened "on her account"?  
  
I leave you now with that thought. ^^ Please enjoy Saga 3 of the Kokitsune series, Revival.  
  
Ai,  
  
~Lexi-chan~  
  
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Prologue: Chitsuko's Absence - Kurama's Prayer  
  
The red-haired youko sat down on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked around the room. Books were still stacked in the bookshelf. A few articles of clothing still filled the closet. Papers were still crammed into the desk. And the alarm clock on the bedside table was still ticking.  
  
It was as though she never left.  
  
It had been a week since Chitsuko left for Makai. She had told Shiori that she was going to live with a newly-discovered aunt in Tokyo. The girl had given the excuse that she felt the need to see family, and since she was still mourning for her father's death she felt it would make her feel better. When Shiori asked how long she would be saying, the girl shrugged and said a year at the most. She would return once she had gotten to know her new relative Chitsuko assured Shiori that she would be returning and re-applying to Meiou High to finish her high school career.  
  
Kurama was impressed she had come up with such an intricate story to cover up her true destination.  
  
Makai. The Demon World.  
  
Chitsuko had told Shiori it was alright to clean out her room and use it as the guest room once again. Shiori, who was busy enough with the usual housework, has asked her darling son Shuichi to do it.  
  
But Kurama could not bring himself to touch anything.  
  
He looked through her closet and desk, but didn't have the heart to move their contents. If he did then it would mean she was really gone. He didn't even know when she would be coming back.  
  
Neither did Koenma. The Reiki Tantei had asked him how long the girl would be staying in Makai, but the toddler couldn't say. All he knew was that she had been given her first assignment already, and until the crime rate in the Demon World had gone down considerably and any items that had been stolen returned, Chitsuko would remain in Makai. He reminded the Spirit Detective and his friends that the Shinobi continued their work in Makai, so Chitsuko would have some help. And at least Touya and Jin, two of the most prominent Shinobi Tribe members, knew her and would offer her help whenever she needed it.  
  
Kurama was still uneasy.  
  
Crossing over to the window, he looked out into the dazzling sunshine of early morning. He sighed and leaned on the windowsill as he gazed out over city. It felt so empty without her here, so quiet...  
  
His arm bumped something sitting on the ledge, and he jumped to catch it. It was the small, slender glass vase that Chitsuko kept her white rose in, the one he had given her on their first date. The rose had never died. The girl had also taken to tucking the rose into her hair when she knew she would be fighting soon. She had managed to call up her own Rose Whip during their last battle, making Kurama extremely proud of her.  
  
The youko smiled. She must have taken it with her to Makai.  
  
He sighed again and turned his emerald eyes to the outside world once more. Tilting his head upwards, his whispered to the crystalline sky as a strong wind picked up, blowing his blood-red tresses around his face.  
  
"Stay safe..." he prayed. "Whoever you find out there... Whoever finds you... I pray they keep you safe and sound..." He closed his eyes as the warm summer sunshine caressed his face. "I pray you will return to me..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Deep in Makai, the wind blew strong, forcing plants to bend and trees to sway and creak. The wind carried a faint whisper, soft and pleading, a prayer. The prayer danced through the air over the forests and slid over the plains, finally whirling into a large forest of bamboo near an old forgotten stone temple. There the prayer was captured by the untamed darkness and carried into the heart of the forest, where it was finally caught and silenced... 


	2. Chapter 1 Makai

Chapter 1: Makai  
  
"Why is it so FRIKKIN' HOT?!"  
  
The girl's agitated voice echoed throughout the forest. Several colorful and eccentric birds fluttered out of the surrounding trees and into the clear sky, frightened into flight by the volume of her shriek. She stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat off her forehead and tug in annoyance at her wavy golden-brown hair, tied into two low pigtails just behind her ears. Her eyes, the color of the sky after a rainstorm, scanned her surroundings, drinking in the environment eagerly. After a minute or so of silence, the girl shifted the backpack on her back with a groan and continued to trudge through the trees.  
  
Chitsuko Ichihara had only been in Makai for a week, and already she was pissed off.  
  
She sighed with discontent and thought of her home back in Ningenkai... Well, she didn't really have a home... She didn't even have a family. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father had been killed off by demons. Demons that were after her...  
  
Chitsuko stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and bowing her head in silent prayer for Kenji and Haruka Ichihara, the unsuspecting ningens who had given their lives so she could live...  
  
They didn't know she was Hanyou Kohana. It wasn't their fault.  
  
The girl started walking again, quickening her pace. Maybe, just maybe, she would find a cave or a hollow tree or something else to live in. She knew no one in Makai... except for Jin and Touya, the Shinobi tribesmen. They had offered to let her house with the Shinobi, but Chitsuko had declined. She didn't want to put the boys in danger. She had already nearly gotten her friends back in Ningenkai killed...  
  
She didn't want to risk it.  
  
Chitsuko looked down at her red tank top, white shorts and brown boots and grimaced. These were the lightest articles of clothing she had brought with her from Ningenkai, and they were also the most revealing. Not to mention they did nothing to ease the heat that made the air seem too thick and heavy to breath.  
  
She thought about the first mission that Koenma had given her, running it over and over in her mind.  
  
"You are to find a special artifact that has been discovered in an ancient Makai temple and stolen," Koenma had told her, one week before her departure to the Demon World. "It is known as the Dusk Birth. No one has any clue as to how or why it found its way into a temple in Makai, but at least we know how it works. The Dusk Birth is a brooch. But not just any brooch... The Dusk Birth feeds on the darkness in one's heart, no matter how small it may be, and makes them evil. It is a dark item, and it's creator and origin are unknown. All we know about its current whereabouts is that a group of notorious thieves have it. They have raided other buildings in Makai and are even able to escape from the Shinobi. My father wants it recovered and taken to the King's Vault to be locked away immediately. We don't want to take any chances with that thing..."  
  
Chitsuko rolled her eyes. Just what I need, more ugly demons in large numbers...  
  
Finally she gave up and plopped down in the shade under a large tree. She stretched her legs out and slid off her backpack, resting it on the ground between her legs. Reaching in, she produced a can of soda and a small container of ramen noodles.  
  
"Thank you, Kuwabara and Keiko..." Chitsuko pulled the tab on the aluminum can, allowing a faint hiss to escape from it, and raised it towards the sky in a silent salute to the kind people who had packed her food for this trip. The food would last her at least three weeks; by then she would have found a home and suitable food source. The girl made a face as an image of herself eating berries and nuts out of a bush came to her mind.  
  
Fishing through her bag for a pair of chopsticks, the girl's fingers brushed something flat and smooth. Closing her hand around it, she brought it out, putting her ramen and soda aside.  
  
It was a framed photograph of her and Kurama, taken just two months ago, before she was sentenced to become Makai's new Spirit Detective. The picture showed a happy and smiling Chitsuko sitting on a swing in the park. Behind her stood Kurama, his arms around her waist, sporting a smile equal to her own. Behind them the sun was just starting to set, making the sky in the photograph shimmer like crushed rubies and sapphires.  
  
Chitsuko smiled sadly and hugged the photograph to her chest. Of all the people she left behind in Ningenkai, she missed Kurama the most...  
  
She loved him...  
  
But she could never admit that. Not even to herself. She couldn't love him. While she was in Makai he would just...  
  
Her heart suddenly twisted painfully at the thought of Kurama with another girl. What if she made him happier than Chitsuko did? What if Kurama liked her more? What if they...  
  
Resolutely, Chitsuko shook her head to clear her mind. No, of course Kurama wouldn't find another girl. He had promised her he'd wait forever if he had to. He'd wait until she returned...  
  
But maybe he'd be happier with another girl, she thought. A girl that didn't put his life in danger... A girl that didn't kill people just by getting close to them...  
  
With another sigh Chitsuko put the photograph back in her bag. It wasn't something she wanted to think about now. What with having to find the Dusk Birth and all...  
  
Chitsuko reached over to pick up her container of ramen, then realized with a start that she wasn't there. Neither was her can of soda.  
  
Suddenly something hard and metallic came down hard on the top of her head. "Oww..." she moaned as she rubbed her scalp and leaned over to pick up the offensive object.  
  
It was her soda can. And it was empty.  
  
"What are you doing here?" came a clear young voice followed by a long, loud slurp.  
  
Chitsuko tilted her head back to look up into the tree she leaned against. Squatting on one of the lower branches eating her ramen was a boy that looked to be no older than eight. He wrote a bright pink shirt with yellow sleeves, jeans, and white sneakers. Perched on his head was a round, rather puffy cap with pink and yellow stripes. A small, olive green sack hung across the boy's chesk by a thin cord.  
  
A sweatdrop rolled down the girl's forehead. "What's a kid like you doing in Makai?"  
  
The boy shot her a dark look, then continued to slurp the ramen. "Watch it, lady..."  
  
Chitsuko frowned. "You're eating my food."  
  
He grinned childishly, then gulped down the last of the ramen, tossing the container down beside the empty aluminum can. The boy hopped down from the tree and landed in front of Chitsuko, balancing himself on the tips of his toes with his hands clasped behind his back.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked again. Chitsuko now noticed that his short, messy hair was brown, and he had three pink stars tatooed under his left eye.  
  
Not sure she could trust this child, Chitsuko answered, "Something."  
  
"Something for who?"  
  
"...King Enma."  
  
"KING ENMA?"  
  
"SHHH!" Chitsuko hissed, shoving the garbage into another pouch in her backpack. "I don't want every youkai in Makai to know that!"  
  
"Oh..." The boy lowered his voice and crept closer to her. "What are you doing for King Enma?"  
  
"If you must know," she said as she stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder once more, "I'm the new Spirit Detective for Makai."  
  
"A Spirit Detective?" the boy said, his eyes wide. "You mean like Yusuke Urameshi?"  
  
Chitsuko blinked, a bit surprised that this little boy had heard of her ningen friend. "You know Yusuke Urameshi?"  
  
"Who doesn't know Yusuke Urameshi?" said a low, sly voice from behind a tree.  
  
Chitsuko whirled around and came face to face with a rather ugly looking demon. His skin was gray and saggy and his eyes were a disgusting yellow. He was carrying a long sword crusted with what looked like dried blood. All around her and the boy, more demons were coming out of their hiding places, their yellow eyes fixed on her and the child beside her.  
  
Chitsuko studied the one closest to her carefully. "I've seen demons like this before..." she said aloud to herself. "But where?"  
  
The demon who spoke cackled. "So, you're the new Spirit Detective, are you?"  
  
The girl narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "What is it to you?"  
  
"Oh, everything... You see, it's people like you and Urameshi that slow down our business. It makes us... irritable." The other dozen or so demons around them snickered. "I am sorry, but we must dispose of you before you make us all lose our jobs..."  
  
Chitsuko clicked her tongue and shook her head apathetically. "I find it sad how much you suck."  
  
The demon in front of her barred his teeth. "GET HER!" he yelled.  
  
"ROSE WHIP!"  
  
Chitsuko's white rose was out of her hair and in its whip form before anyone could get near her. She lashed out, spinning in a circle, the whip slicing through every demon it touched. Before long there was a ring of dead demons around her, and two more were lying dead at her feet. The others who had hung back when the attack began stared at the girl as though she had suddenly grown an extra head, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide.  
  
"Wait a minute... You're that half-breed!" one shouted.  
  
"That hanyou! Hanyou Kohana!" another one screeched.  
  
Chitsuko smirked. "So glad you've heard of me..."  
  
Suddenly remembering the little boy who was with her, Chitsuko whirled around, only to nearly trip over another pile of dead youkai. She glanced around the clearing and found the boy several feet away, fighting two of the last remaining demons.  
  
The boy somersaulted backwards and let something fly from his hand. It hit the demon hard in the chest, plunging through its flesh as though it were soft jelly. Black blood spouted from the wound as the demon fell over, its body crumpling in heap on the ground. The second demon lunged at the boy, only to be hit with the same weapon, something that looked awful like...  
  
"...A yo-yo?" Chitsuko blinked and stared at this boy oddly. "You're fighting with a yo-yo...?"  
  
Chitsuko didn't have time to remain confused. A sudden pain shot through her left arm as red blood, her blood, splashed onto her clothes and a sickening crack came to her ears. Turning, she saw that one of the demons had driven a sword completely through her arm up to its hilt. She cried out in pain and spun around, kicking the demon squarely in the chest and knocking him backward, giving her time to yank the sword out of her arm and scream again as she heard her bones crack and break for a second time. Brandishing her whip with her uninjured arm, she pounced on the remaining demons.  
  
"ROSE WHIP!"  
  
They were dead and laying at her feet in pool of their own blood in an instant. Panting and dizzy from the pain, she looked around, hoping that the boy was still near by.  
  
"Are you alright?!" He ran up to her, his eyes shining with obvious concern. "Are you gonna die?"  
  
"NO I'M NOT GOING TO DIE!" she shouted. Immediately she regretted it; she knew she should save her breath for breathing. She squeezed her arm, trying to slow the flow of blood from her large wound. She glanced at it for a moment, and nearly vomited when she saw her bone sticking through her skin at an odd angle.  
  
"Rinku! RINKU!" a thickly accented voice cried from amongst the trees.   
  
"I'M OVER HERE! AND THERE'S A GIRL WITH ME!" the child shouted.  
  
"RINKU!" another voice yelled, this one deeper and smooth. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE..."  
  
"Oh, calm down..." There was yet another voice, this one soothing, with an undertone hinting that its owner was handsome. "It's about time we gave him the talk..."  
  
"NO! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" The little boy called Rinku shouted, his eyes darting from the bleeding Chitsuko to the trees around them. "THERE'S A GIRL HERE WITH ME, AND SHE'S A SPIRIT DETECTIVE, AND SHE'S BLEEDING!"  
  
"Spirit Detective?" the accented voice said slowly. "You don't think..."  
  
"Another one of Koenma's prodigies, no doubt..." said the handsome voice.  
  
"JUST GET OVER HERE!" Rinku yelled. QUICK! I THINK SHE'S GOING TO PASS OUT!"  
  
There was a sound of running footsteps crashing through the underbrush and suddenly Chitsuko was lifted off the ground and hoised over a very muscled, very broad shoulder.  
  
"Hey!" she cried. "HEY!" Turning her head with what little strength she had left, she saw that her captor sported a purple mowhawk with two half-braided ponytails at the nape of his neck. The rest of his head was entirely shaved.  
  
"Bring her home, Chuu. I can heal her, she'll be fine," said the smooth voice.  
  
Her captor began to walk, Rinku trotting alongside, his eyes fixed on Chitsuko. He made a nervous face when he saw the bloody bone jutting out of the girl's upper arm.  
  
"PUT ME DOWN!" she panted, her breathing becoming more labored as the forest swam before her eyes. "Put...me..."  
  
One of Rinku's companions dropped behind so he could stand directly behind Chitsuko captor. He was a young man wearing traditional dojo pants and a shirt. A katana was tucked into its sheath at his side. His hair was periwinkle blue and tied back into a low ponytail at the back of his head, with two large clumps framing his face and two thin strands sticking up above his forhead. His fuschia eyes locked on Chitsuko as he walked behind the one called Chuu. They conveyed mute kindness as he spoke to her.  
  
"Stop struggling. You'll lose more blood that way." He was owner of the handsome voice. He glanced back at the battle sight they had just left, still littered with the bodies of slaughtered demons. Turning back to look at the girl once more, he tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. "Did you kill all those demons?"  
  
"Yeah..." she said breathlessly. "That little kid killed some too..."  
  
"Hey!" Rinku shouted in protest.  
  
"Now Rinku..." said the smooth, deep voice. It was coming from infront of Chuu. "Let Shishi interrogate her. We may learn something. We've yet to find out who she is..."  
  
"I told you, she's the new Spirit Detective for Makai!" Rinku let out an exasperated groan. "And she's Hanyou Kohana!"  
  
"Hanyou Kohana!" Chuu said in his thick accent. "Well I'll be damned... You don't think she pulled the same trick as that Youko Kurama fella, do ya? You know, mergin' with a human... What d' you reckon, Suzuki?"  
  
"I don't think, I know. And I know that's what she did," the man in front of Chuu said calmly. "Haven't you heard the stories?"  
  
"Yeah, but I ditn' think she'd actually do something like tha'..." Chuu replied.  
  
"I saw her in action!" Rinku said excitedly, hopping up and down besides the one called Shishi. "She has a Rose Whip, too! Can't you just feel her spirit energy?"  
  
"Yes..." Suzuki, Chuu, and Shishi said in unison. Shishi and Rinku stared at Chitsuko, making the girl squirm uncomfortably on Chuu's shoulder.  
  
Blood loos was taking it's toll on the girl. "I... You guys... You guys are demons... right? ...I... Ow..."  
  
Chitsuko's head lapsed down onto Chuu's broad back and the world around her faded to black she passed into unconciousness. 


	3. Chapter 2 Youkai Hospitality

Chapter 2: Youkai Hospitality  
  
"Thank God she's unconcious. This would be a lot more painful for her if she was awake..." Suzuki said as he tenderly attempted to set the girl's bone back in place. His hands worked quickly and steadily, pushing her bone back to its original position, being careful not to tear the girl's muscle more than it already was.  
  
"Is she gonna be alrigh'?" Chuu asked, leaning over the futon to get a good look at the girl sprawled on the blankets.  
  
"Yes, she'll be fine," Suzuki answered, pushing back a stray whisp of blonde hair off his forehead. "Rinku, hand me that roll of bandages." He reached out for the bandages with hand, applying pressure to Chitsuko's wound with the other.  
  
Rinku jumped up from his seat at the end of the bed where he was rifling through Chitsuko's backpack and grabbed a roll of white bandages from a nearby table. He handed them over to Suzuki, then went back to rummaging through the girl's bag.  
  
The blue-haired young man walked into the room, carrying an amber glass bottle and another dry cloth. "Here's the tonic." He stooped next to Suzuki and unscrewed the bottle, pouring a little of the green-tinged substance onto the rag. "It looks like they drove the sword in pretty far..."  
  
"It was up to the hilt," Rinky piped up.  
  
"Blimey..." Chuu breathed, straightened up and running a hand through his purple mowhawk. "Poor girl..."  
  
His fuschia eyes focused on the deep wound, the young man gently rubbed the cloth over the gash, making sure that the potion seeped through the cut and into the girl's bloodstream.  
  
"Thank you, Shishi," Suzuki said as he watched him clean the unconcious girl's wound. "That should help it heal faster. I still don't understand what she's doing in Makai... Why would King Enma send a Spirit Detective to Makai?"  
  
"You know how high the crime rates are here," Shishi replied, wringing the cloth over Chitsuko's wound and settling it aside along with the bottle. "He probably figured a Spirit Detective would solve the problem. I don't understand why he can't just leave it up to the Shinobi..."  
  
Suzuki sighed and began to wrap the bandages around the now clean wound. "There are some things the Shinobi just can't do... They can't be in too many places at once, you know. The number of Shinobi tribes out there has dwindled, since the Makai lords have gotten stricter and the realm has split... King Enma must have thought that a Spirit Detective would help greatly, after seeing the work of Yusuke Urameshi..."  
  
"But this is just a lit'le girl!" Chuu cried. "Do you really think she can pull off stunts like Urameshi's?"  
  
There was a long silence. Suzuki finished wrapped Chitsuko's wounded arm, the bone now set in place and ready to heal. Shishi picked up a blanket laying at the end of the bed and covered the girl with it. She had begun breathing again once the tonic reached her bloodstream, and now she slept quietly and peacefully, her bandaged arm laying straight at her side. Chuu, Shishi, and Suzuki watched her thoughtfully for a minute before Chuu cleared his throat.  
  
"Are we, er... Are we going to keep 'er?" he asked.  
  
Suzuki turned away from the sleeping girl and looked at Chuu. "It's up to her if she wants to stay with us. I'm willing to let her, but if she doesn't want to..."  
  
Suddenly Shishi turned to Rinku, who was still sitting at the foot of the bed with Chitsuko's bag. "You've been awfully quiet, Rinku."  
  
Rinku sat motionless, staring intently at something in his hands. It looked like a metal picture frame. The boy's eyes had widened slightly in surprise as he gazed down at the object.  
  
"What is that?" Suzuki asked, reaching over to take it from the child.  
  
"I found it in her bag..." Rinku pointed to Chitsuko.  
  
The four of them crowded around to Suzuki to get a better look at it. It was indeed a framed photograph. An image of a boy and girl together smiled back at them. They recognized the girl as the one laying on the bed beside them, and the boy...  
  
"What's this?" Chuu blinked rapidly. "Do my eyes deceive me, or is that..."  
  
"...That's Kurama, alright..." Suzuki said, running his fingers down the smooth glass covering the photograph. "She must know the Reiki Tantei..."  
  
"She knows Yusuke. She said so," Rinku said quietly. Glancing at the picture again, his expression softened as he saw how happy the two teenagers were together. "Is it just me, or do those two look really, REALLY happy together?"  
  
Suzuki looked back at Chitsuko lying on the bed, unaware of her whereabouts and completely alone in the Demon World.  
  
"I think... they were..." he said softly.  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Chitsuko finally woke up, night was falling over Makai. She didn't move for a long time as she stared up at the ceiling of the strange room. Glancing around, she saw that it was a bedroom, set up in the traditional dojo fashion; a futon on the floor, where she currently lay, low furniture, and a small altar of some sort across the room.  
  
Turning onto her left side, she went to prop herself up on her elbow and promptly fell back onto the futon with a loud cry. She cluctched at her arm in agony; she had forgotton it was broken. She had been a used a pincushion in her last battle, which had taken place just a few hours ago...  
  
The door to the room slid open.  
  
"Good. You're awake. I was wondering when I'd get my bedroom back..." The young man dressed as an old-fashioned samurai made his way into the room. He studied her carefully as he crossed over to the futon and kneeled down beside it. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Terrible," was the bland reply. Shifting onto her right side, she propped herself up on her good arm and managed to pull herself into a sitting position. Turning to the young man she asked, "Who are you anyway?"  
  
"I am Shishiwakamaru," he replied, a small smile breaking his stern face. "You can call me Shishi."  
  
The little boy called Rinku appeared in the doorway. "Yay! She's up!" He turned and yelled down the hallway at the other occupants of the house. "You guys, Kohana's awake!"  
  
"Please don't call me that..." Chitsuko groaned as the heavily-built man with the mowhawk and another tall man with short, spikey blonde hair entered the room behind Rinku.  
  
"But that's your name, isn't it?" Shishi asked as Rinku plopped down on the edge of the futon and the other two men settled themselves beside the samurai.  
  
"Yes, but..." Chitsuko voice trailed off and she looked away.  
  
"Surely you must have a ningen name, then?" the blonde man asked.  
  
Chitsuko's head snapped around to look at him, her eyes wide. "How did you know...?"  
  
"We found this in your bag..." He handed her the framed photograph of her and Kurama. "Or rather, Rinku found it..."  
  
"Hey! That's private!" Chitsuko snatched the photograph away from him and hugged it to her chest with one arm. "What were you doing going through my stuff?"  
  
"Easy, girl, easy..." the man with the mowhawk said kindly. "It's over there, everything intact." He nodded towards the door, where her bag rested on the wall beside it.  
  
"Thank you..." she muttered, somewhat perturbed.  
  
"Before you get settled here there's something we want to know..." the blonde man asked. "Who are you really, what are you doing here, and what connection do you have with the Reiki Tantei?"  
  
Chitsuko's eyebrow shot up. "What's with the third degree? Why so many questions?" She turned her body to face the four men, crossing her legs so she could sit upright. "I'm not answering anything until you answer me something first..."  
  
The four of them exchanged a quick glance before the blonde man said, "Okay."  
  
Chitsuko eyed each other them in turn. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Chuu. Pleased ta meet you!" said the man with the purple mowhawk. He reached out and grabbed the hand on Chitsuko's uninjured arm, shaking it vigorously and warmly. The girl's eyes dilated with surprise and shock at the demon's kindness.  
  
"Wow..." he breathed in his thick accent as he stared down at the wide-eyed girls. "If your eyes aren't the prettiest things I've ever seen! They're like the sky after a particularly rough rainstorm..."  
  
Chitsuko blushed and smiled weakly. "Umm...thank you?"  
  
"I'm sure Shishi has introduced himself already," said the blonde-haired man. "I am the Beautiful Suzuki."  
  
"The... 'Beautiful'... Suzuki?" Chitsuko stared at him oddly. Rinku, now sitting next to her, snorted.  
  
The Beautiful Suzuki shot the boy a death glare, then looked back at the girl with a sigh. "You may simply call me Suzuki."  
  
"And I'm Rinku!" said the boy next to her.  
  
"And now that we have answered your questions..." Suzuki said, "it's time you answered ours."  
  
"Shoot." The girl moved to cross her arms over her chest, then winced and let her damaged arm hang limp at her side.  
  
"Who are you?" Suzuki questioned.  
  
"I am the infamous half-breed Hanyou Kohana. Half ningen, half youko. I was born over five hundred years ago in the wilderness of Makai when my parents were mysterious murdered and I was sent to live in Ningenkai in the present time. My ningen alias is Chitsuko Ichihara. My ningen mother died giving birth to me, and my father was killed by demon hunters. Next?"  
  
The four of them sat gaping at her, unable to say anything. It was Shishi who cleared his spinning mind enough to ask the next question.  
  
"How did you end up in Ningenkai?"  
  
"Youko Kurama separated my spirit from my body and sent it there."  
  
"Really?" Rinku asked, his eyes alight with interest.  
  
"That would explain the photograph..." Suzuki murmured to himself.  
  
Chitsuko heard him. "The photograph explains nothing. I didn't mean to find him, and he didn't mean to find me... It just sort of... happened. It was a complete accident, my friendship with the Reiki Tantei..."  
  
"Are you and Kurama... close?" Rinku asked.  
  
"I'm close with all of them," the girl snapped, glaring sideways at the boy. "Next question."  
  
"That explains your involvement with the Reiki Tantei, in a way..." Suzuki said. "Now, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm here on King Enma's orders. I broke a few Reikai laws and now I'm the Spirit Detective of Makai. I already have my first assignment, so as soon as my arm heals I'm off again." Chitsuko looked away, staring out the window at the night sky dotted with shimmering stars.  
  
"Oh, won't you stay?"  
  
The girl turned back to Rinku. She blinked slowly, her mind processing the child's words. "Why would I stay?"  
  
"Because you are more than welcome to," Shishi said. "There's plenty of room here..."  
  
"And besides," Chuu said with a smile, "we could use some female companionship."  
  
The girl looked at the floor. All at once her confusion turned into fatigue. She was too tired to think, too tired to consider the demons' offer. "I'm tired..." she murmured.  
  
"I can imagine so. That tonic knocks you right out. Not to mention the loss of blood..." Suzuki stood up, motioning for the others to do the same.  
  
"You can sleep in my room tonight," Shishi said with a small smile. "But I'll be expecting it back tomorrow."  
  
"Alright..." Chitsuko let herself sink back onto the futon and pulled the blankets up to her chin with her one hand.  
  
"'Night!" Rinku cried as he ran after Suzuki and Shishi, stopping in the doorway once to look back at her. "Maybe tomorrow we can play and stuff. I'll show you how I work my yo-yos!"  
  
"G-night love," Chuu said warmly, bending over to brush the girl's bangs out of her sparkling eyes before he turned to leave. "Sweet dreams, now..."   
  
"Why are you being to nice to me?" she asked drowsily.  
  
Chuu simply shrugged with a smile and replied, "Youkai hospitality."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
He left still smiling, sliding the door closed behind him.  
  
Chitsuko held her breath until the sound of his footsteps retreated down the hallway. She fell asleep laying on her back, still confused about the demons' generosity and full of anxiety about the next day, clucthing the framed picture of her and Kurama to her chest. 


	4. Chapter 3 A New Home

Chapter 3: A New Home  
  
When Chitsuko woke up early the next morning, her arm still felt terrible. However, thanks to her training with Hiei, she was able to roll onto her back and flip herself up into a standing position. Smiling with satisfaction at her abilities, Chitsuko made her to way to the door, sliding it open a crack and listening for any telltale noise that the inhabitants of the house might be awake. When she heard nothing, she quickly snatched up her backpack leaning against the wall and slipped quietly out of the room. Carefully she tiptoed down the hallway, her bare feet making no sound to betray her escape.  
  
It was dawn. A light orange-red was beginning to stain the sky in the east as the sun rose over a broad mountain range in the distance. Chitsuko spotted her sneakers laying by the doorway, and she darted past an open doorway, excited to make a swift and quiet getaway...  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
Chitsuko whirled around, banging her wounded arm into the wall and crying out in agony as eyed her attacked angrily.  
  
Shishiwakamaru made his way down the hallways towards her, a small grin on his face. "You don't think we'd let you just walk out, do you?"  
  
Chitsuko glared at him. "What do you want with me? If it's my blood you're after then you can kiss my ass! I'm leaving!"  
  
"Your blood?" The bishonen raised an eyebrow. "What would I want with your blood?"  
  
"Oh nothing, just that my spirit energy is completely concentrated in it!" she spat. "Every demon out there probably wants it too, what makes you any different?"  
  
"What makes me different," Shishi said, looking a little worried, "is that I don't want you to get hurt again, and that I have no desire to obtain your blood whatsoever. Besides..." His grin turned into a smirk. "If I wanted to kill you, I could do it in a heartbeat."  
  
"Oh really?" Chitsuko asked mockingly, sliding her backpack off her shoulder and reached inside of it. "Just try me..." In an instant her sword was out and draw, pointy between the young samurai's eyes.  
  
He didn't even flinch. "I have no desire to fight you. I will take a look at your skills once you have made a full recovery. Until then, you should be resting, not attempting to run away."  
  
The girl lowered her sword and frowned at him. "You can't keep me here."   
  
"You're right, we can't," Shishi replied. "But we can persuade you to stay..."  
  
Chitsuko shoved her sword back into her backpack. "Why should I stay?"  
  
"Because we'll take care of you, and you'll have somewhere to live."  
  
"I'll be fine on my own."  
  
"No you won't."  
  
"Yes I will."  
  
"You busted your arm while you were by yourself."  
  
Chitsuko's frown deepened.  
  
Shishi sighed and continued. "More of those demons are probably looking for you. You need shelter and someone to protect you."  
  
"I don't need anyone to protect me."  
  
"Yes you do."  
  
"No I don't."  
  
"Yes, you do."  
  
"...You suck." Chitsuko sank down onto the floor and let out an exasperated sighed.  
  
Shishiwakamaru's eyes widened. "Shouldn't you be thankful that somebody wants to take you in? With an attitude like that, I'm surprised Kurama could even stand you."  
  
"SHUT UP!" The girl was back on her feet, her sword once more gripped tightly in her good hand. "SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME AND KURAMA! NOTHING!" She ran at him, her sword point glittering in the early morning light...  
  
"UNGH!" What looked like a dozen yo-yos darted out from behind her, criss-crossing in mid-air around her, tying knots in their web of strings. Without warning the yo-yos jerked back, tightening the strings and dragging both sword and fighter to the floor with a loud thud. Chitsuko landed on her broken arm, and she yelled again as the pain escalated.  
  
"Rinku, that wasn't necessary..."  
  
Chitsuko rolled over onto her back to find Shishi, Suzuki, and Rinku standing over her. Shishi was shaking his head, while Suzuki looked down at her with compassion. Rinku was holding the ends of the strings that bound her, his eyes wide.  
  
"Why did you try to escape? We're not gonna hurt you..." he said with sincere innocence.  
  
The girl sighed and closed her eyes in an attempt to prevent her face from turning redder, refusing to answer.  
  
With a sigh of his own, Suzuki bent down and picked Chitsuko up in his arms. Rinku tugged lightly on his yo-yos, and the strings unwound themselves from her body and returned to their master. Suzuki turned and carried her back down the hallway with Shishi and Rinku behind him.  
  
"What are you doing?" the girl asked as she gingerly rubbed her mauled arm.  
  
"You need to trust us," Suzuki said calmly as he carried her further down the corridor. "We're not going to hurt you. You are a friend of friends, and you are in need."  
  
"I'm not in need..."  
  
"Yes you are. You've been wounded and you'll never heal if you don't give it time."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Please stay with us?" Rinku squealed, looking up at Chitsuko.  
  
She sighed again. "I don't know..."  
  
"Come on," Suzuki said. "You must be hungry. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, I presume..."  
  
"Not really..." The girl glared sideways at Rinku as Suzuki carried her into a small kitchen and set her down beside a small table.  
  
Chuu was already kneeling there, a half-empty bottle of sake in his hands. He grinned when Chitsuko kneeled down next to him and put his arm around her shoulders."  
  
"'Ello, love! Get a good rest?"  
  
"Yeah... I'm... AAAAHHHH!" She cried out as the man slapped her playfully on her arm... Her injured arm.   
  
"Chuu, please!" Shishi said, kneeling across from the two. Rinku plopped down next to him. "Watch her arm. Remember, it's broken..."  
  
"Righ'!" Chuu smiled broadly and took a long swig from his sake bottle. "So, is she staying with us?"  
  
Everyone look at Chitsuko. Chitsuko turned her head away and pretended to not have heard him.  
  
"I'll go get the food..." Suzuki crossed to the counter, then came back with five bowls and a large plate of beef and vegetables over steamed white rice. He snt them down in the middle of the table and handed everyone a pair of chopsticks. "Alright," he said with a small smile. "Let's eat."  
  
"Kami, I'm starving..." Chitsuko filled her bowl to the brim with rice and meat, downing it in record time. When her bowl was clean she helped herself to seconds. Her last mouthful of rice had hardly left the bowl when she reached for a third helping.  
  
Shishi, Suzuki, Rinku, and Chuu stared wide-eyed and open mouthed at the girl. Chitsuko pasued for a moment to look over the brim of her bowl. Her eyes met Shishi's and the samurai dropped the piece of beef he had been grasping with his chopsticks.  
  
"...What?" She looked around at all of them.  
  
"NOW THAT'S MY KIND OF GIRL!" Chuu said jovially, slapping her playfully on the back and going back to scarfing his own food. Chitsuko smiled sheepishly at the others and immersed herself in her food once more, paying no attention to their stares.  
  
"Oh...my..." Shishi said, flinched as several grains of rice flew at him for her direction. "Are you sure she's female?"  
  
"Yeah! Look at her, she's got..."  
  
"That's enough Rinku," Shishi said quickly, stuffing a large quantity of shredded carrot into the boy's mouth.  
  
"Heh, don't bother..." Chitsuko said to Shishi as she added more rice and meat into her bowl. "I'd rather cut them off anyway. They get in the way when I fight." The girl had never been proud of her human body, and now she was too agitated and hungry to pay attention to what came out of her mouth. She continued to shovel food into her mouth, glancing sideways at Chuu, who was doing the same, every once and a while.  
  
Suzuki put down his empty bowl and set his chopsticks on the rim. Shaking his head, he murmured to Shishi, "Something tells me she didn't have many female friends growing up..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So how do you know the Reiki Tantei?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Chitsuko and Rinku were sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. The boy was showing the youko how to do tricks with a yo-yo, and the fox wasn't finding it at all difficult. She swung the yo-yo back and forth on its string as she watched Rinku perform a walking the dog on the floor in front of him.  
  
"I asked you, how do you know the Reiki Tantei?" the girl repeated.  
  
Rinku continued to play with his yo-yo, his eyes never leaving his toy as he spoke. "We fought against them in the Ankoku Bujustsukkai. It was fun. They're really strong..."  
  
"I see..." Chitsuko watched her own toy whirl up and down on its string, mesmerized by the spinning star symbol painted onto it.  
  
"Are you in love with Kurama?"  
  
"What?" Chitsuko's hand froze and her yo-yo dangled limply on the end of the string.  
  
"I said, are you in love with Kurama?" the boy asked innocently.  
  
Chitsuko looked at the floor and lowered her hand, allowing to her yo-yo to lay still and unattended. "I really don't want to talk about it..."  
  
Rinku stared at her long and hard. She looked young, but her spirit energy told him different. It was strong, and it felt ancient, as though it had been around for a long time. But he couldn't understand it; the girl before him looked harmless and lost, sitting on the kitchen floor with one arm heavily bandaged and in a sling. Chuu had pointed out to him how bright and unique her eyes were: they seemed to tell a story of their own at times. When she was happy, they glittered brilliantly. When she was sad or upset, they were dull and dim. And when she was angry, they burned like blue fire...  
  
Who was this girl?  
  
"Alright..." Rinku respected her privacy and stood up, recalling his yo-yo and sliding it into his pocket. "You still haven't told us if you're going to stay or not..."   
  
The girl looked up at him. "Do you really want me to stay?"  
  
"Yeah!" The child's eyes lit up. "We can train together, and play and stuff! It'll be fun! We don't know many girls... Actually we don't know any other than Yusuke Urameshi's friends, and they don't really talk to us..." Rinku scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Do you know anyone else in Makai?"  
  
Chitsuko got to her feet. She wound up her yo-yo and handed it back to Rinku, who placed it in his pocket with the other yo-yo. "I know two members of the Shinobi Tribe. Jin the Wind Master and Touya the Ice Master."  
  
Rinku's eyes grew wide. "So do we!"  
  
"Really?" Despite herself, the girl smiled.  
  
"Yeah! They're so awesome, I love watching Jin fly..."  
  
"He took me flying once..."  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes, when we were rounding up the demons that had escaped from Hell..."  
  
"YOU helped destroy Gouka?"  
  
"Yes, I did. He was after me for a while, kept hitting on me and what not..."  
  
"You're not serious!"  
  
"I am serious."  
  
"Wow!"  
  
In the next room, Shishi, Suzuki, and Chuu peeked around the doorframe, watching the two young demons converse in excited tones and wild hand gestures.  
  
Shishi smiled. "Well it looks like she's starting to open up..."  
  
Suzuki nodded. "Looks that way..."  
  
"Will she stay, ya think?" Chuu asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm still not sure..." Suzuki replied.  
  
The three of them watched as Rinku and Chitsuko raced out of the kitchen and down the hallway to Rinku's room, laughing.  
  
"How did you beat Gouka?"  
  
"Jaganshi Hiei and I came up with this awesome attack where we combined our spirit energy and sent it into his sword..."  
  
"What was it like?"  
  
"Like this... SWORD OF PIERCING DARKNESS!" A light golden light flared up in the doorway of Rinku's room.  
  
"That's some spirit energy!"  
  
"Yeah, and it's hard to control! Seems to have a mind of its own sometimes..."  
  
The three older youkai exchanged a smile then retreated back into the living room, the voices of the boy and girl floating down the hallway to their ears ever so often, giving them hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd stay...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko sat on the front steps of the Suzuki household, watching the sun sink low over the mountains. She sighed contentedly and smiled to herself. She didn't know it would be so beautiful here...  
  
"So, have you decided yet?"  
  
Suzuki came out of the house and sat beside her on the steps, his eyes also focusing on the sunset. You've been here for almost two whole days and you've yet to decide whether or not you're going to stay here."  
  
Chitsuko looked down at the ground. The more she thought about it, the more she thought her stay in Makai would be more comfortable if she lived in a house. And these four youkai seemed extremely nice and caring, so willing to take it her. They were friends of the Reiki Tantei and the Shinobi. She would see and Jin and Touya soon; they promised they would check up on her every so often. And they would certainly feel a lot better if they knew she was staying with a kind soul who had offered to take care of her...  
  
The girl turned to look at the blonde man, who returned her gaze. A small smile broke out of her face and she nodded.  
  
"Thank you. I'll stay." 


	5. Chapter 4 Shura

Chapter 4: Shura  
  
"TAKE THAT, PRETTY BOY!"  
  
The clanging of swords rang out in the small clearing before the small house. Rinku, Chuu, and Suzuki sat on the steps sipping ice cold lemonade and wiping the sweat off their foreheads. It was still hot as Hell in Makai, with no promising sign of rain on the horizon. According to the ningen calendar Chitsuko had tacked up on the wall in her new bedroom, it was the end of July. The girl had been with them for two whole months now, but the four youkai had yet to grow accustomed to having a girl around the house.  
  
There was another clash and the two figures on the law sprang away from each other, each brandishing a sword, one of metal, one of plants.  
  
Shishiwakamaru grinned and darted at Chitsuko again. "See if you can dodge this!"  
  
The samurai thrust his sword towards the girl's stomach. She prompted shifted sideways and leapt into the air, coming down on Shishi with her Grass Blade Sword, its roots twined around her fingers to keep it in place. The samurai turned just it time to block the girl's sword and swing his own around before the she hit the ground. Ducking, Chitsuko rolled to one side and jabbing upward, locking their swords hilt-to-hilt.  
  
"Very good," Shishi grunted with a smile as he pulled away and brandished his katana.  
  
"Thank you, I take pride in my training." Chitsuko smiled sweetly before running at him, slashing her sword in an x-pattern that managed to rip the front of Shishi's robes.  
  
"GO GET 'EM, CHIT!" Rinku shouted from the porch as he jumped up, spilling his lemonade on the steps. "WOOHOO!"  
  
Chuu laughed as he downed the rest of his and righted Rinku's glass. "She is somethin', isn' she? I mean, look at 'er..." Chuu nodded at the girl darting across the front yard with sword in hand. "You meet girls like herÉwell, never!" He laughed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Now I know why King Enma sent her here without hesitation. That girl knows how to take care of herself!"  
  
"You're right," Suzuki said with a smile. "She is unique, especially for one of her kind. Usually a youko is cutthroat and rather harsh, but Chitsuko can be sweat as honeyÉ"  
  
There was a yell and a triumphant "Ha!" as Shishi fell backwards onto the ground and Chitsuko pounced on him, her sword point pressed to his throat. Shishi's katana lay on the ground, and tendrils of grass roots had wound themselves up the youkai's legs.  
  
"Hey! That's not fair!" Shishi protested. "You used your spirit energy!"  
  
Chitsuko smirked. "You never said I couldn't."  
  
"But that would defeat the purpose of your training."  
  
"I trained under Jaganshi Hiei for over six months, and I can use a sword just as well as you canÉ" Then she added as an afterthought, "ÉIf not better."  
  
"Oh, you're goodÉ" The plants loosened their hold on him and he got to his feet. Brushing himself off, he held out his hand to the girl before him. "Good fight."  
  
"Yes." Chitsuko shook his hand bowed to him out of respect. The samurai sheathed his sword and the two of them walked back towards the house. They were met by the three other youkai, the youngest of which ran down the steps to meet them halfway.  
  
"Wow Chitsuko, I didn't know you could use a sword like that!" Rinku said in awe.  
  
"Stop flattering me, I'm not that goodÉ" Chitsuko waved him off, trying to hide the smile on her face as she trotted up the steps and into the house. The four youkai followed, Rinku scampering ahead to walk beside her.  
  
"I see your arm has fully healed," Suzuki remarked, his gaze resting on the girl's left arm. The wound was healed, and nothing remained of it but a faint red line. Suzuki's tonic had prevented the forming of a scar, but the mark would remain there for the rest of her life.  
  
"Yes, thank you." She turned to face him, smiling. "That stuff you put on my wound really helpedÉ What was it?"  
  
"Oh, just a potion made from some plants around here," he replied. "It wouldn't have worked if you didn't have enough spirit energy to aid it. It's no wonder you recovered so fastÉ"  
  
"Well, I owe you thanks anywayÉ" Chitsuko said before darting down the hallway and into her room. They heard her sword clatter to the floor and a bang as she threw open her closet door.  
  
Suzuki and Shishi set themselves to making dinner while Chuu and Rinku plopped down in the living room. Chuu was guzzling his usual bottle of sake while the young boy played with his yo-yos.  
  
"Hey, Chuu?"  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"How long do you think she's going to stay with us?"  
  
"I dunno," Chuu replied, taking a drink from his bottle. "It's a miracle she's stayin' at all, after the fight she put up before." He shrugged. "I guess until her work here is finished."  
  
"I hope that's not too soonÉ" Chuu said somberly. "She's fun. I wish she could live here permanentlyÉ"  
  
"Now Rinku, she's got people back in tha Human World that miss her somethin' terrible! And she's got a fella to boot! Poor Kurama would be heartbroken if she neva went back ta himÉ"  
  
Rinku looked down at the floor. "I guess you're rightÉ"  
  
Heavy footsteps sounded down the hallway, and the two youkai poked their heads out of the room to see what all the noise was about. Chitsuko was strutting down the hallway in her blue pants, red tank, and brown combat boots, looking rather pleased with herself.  
  
"Chitsuko?" Rink questioned, looking at her quizically.  
  
The girl merely smiled at him as she poked her head into the kitchen and said, "I'm going out to find those demons, don't wait up!" She headed to the door and slid it open. "Bye!"  
  
Before she could step outside a hand grabbed her shoulder. She was spun around to look a very worried, somewhat exasperated Suzuki in the eyes.  
  
"What do you mean, 'going out to find those demons'?" he demanded.  
  
"They're the band of thieves, I know it! I've seen their kind before, and I'm positive they have the Dusk Birth with themÉ"  
  
"ChitsukoÉ"  
  
"I'm well enough to fight on my own! You saw me out there!" She pointed to the front lawn, where she had been fighting with Shishi just an hour earlier. "This is my job, and I need to perform it, and I'm having a hard enough time without you treating me like I'm a defenseless little girl!"  
  
"She has a point," Shishi remarked as he came up behind Suzuki. "Let her go. She needs to do this. And if she gets in trouble, we can always bail her out."  
  
Chitsuko glared at the grinning bishonen over Suzuki's shoulder. "I'm going." She spun on her heel and walked down the front steps.  
  
"You're not bringing your sword?" Suzuki called after her.  
  
"I have spirit energy, don't I?" she shouted back before she disappeared out of sight among the trees.  
  
Suzuki sighed. Rinku and Chuu came to peek through the door, watching in the direction she had gone.  
  
"What was all that about?" Chuu asked.  
  
"She's just doing her job," Suzuki said calmly before ushering everyone back inside.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko traipsed through the woods, her eyes roaming her surroundings. She sighed with content and stretched her arms above her, tilting her head back to look up at the darkening sky. Makai was beautiful, almost moreso than Ningenkai...  
  
Ningenkai...  
  
Her thoughts roamed to those she had left behind. Yusuke with his punky attitude and charming smile, Kuwabara with his childish-like presence, Keiko with her inifite kindness...  
  
Kurama...with his love...  
  
The girl stopped walking, allowing night to close in around her as her thoats roamed to that of the object of her affections, worlds away from her... She stifled a sob and closed her eyes, trying to remember the feel of his arms around her, desperately trying to hold on to the murmur of his voice in her ear... What had he said that night as she lay in his arms, before she sleep had claimed her? What had he whispered on that night so long ago, when she couldn't hold back her emotions anyone...  
  
With a start she realized she was still holding back.  
  
Throughout everything, she had not once told him she loved him.  
  
Why? What was there to be afraid of? What was wrong? Why couldn't she tell him? With a pang she remember why she was so hesitant to tell him, so afraid to let him know that she loved him and would continue to love him for as long as she existed...  
  
Because everyone close to me dies.  
  
"Kurama..." Her murmur was a plea to the night, a soft cry of need. "Kurama... I..."  
  
She was shaken from her sorrow by the sound of hushed voices nearby. Darting around a tree, she saw a fire blazing not too far up ahead, shadows dancing menacingly around it. The girl crept through the trees, being careful to stay out of sight, using low bushes and branches to conceal her. With stealth she made her way as close as possible to the edge of the ring of light. There, she climbed up into a tree and hid herself among the leaves.  
  
She looked down into a circle of yellow-eyed, gray-skinned demons, all laughing heartily at some cruel joke. There were bags of obviously stolen goods set off to one side, and the fire burned brightly in the center. The demons were sitting around the fire, gnawing on what looked like hard bread and some kind of meat... Chitsuko didn't dare to think what kind of meat it was.  
  
"So when's the next raid?" a particularly fat demon asked of the one next to him.  
  
The other demon, whose eyes were almost phosperescent in the moonlight, replied, "One week from today. You know that ancient abandoned temple at the base of the mountains? Well, I hear there's some pretty good stuff in there! Master wants us to look and see if the Mirror of Stolen Sacrifice is still in there... But if it's not, I don't really care 'cause there's plenty where that came from!"  
  
All the demons laughed again. Chitsuko shivered in digust in the tree above.  
  
"As soon as we collect the ransom for this little fella..." one of the demons kicked a long parcel laying near his feet, "we'll be the riches theives ever! More infamous and power than even that Youko Kurama!"  
  
As the demons broke into raunchy guffaws, Chitsuko looked closely at the parcel, which she hadn't noticed before. With a shock she noticed it wasn't a parcel, but a young boy bound, gagged, and blindfolded. His hair was shiny black and shaggy, and a small horn stuck out of the front of his head, much like Jin. His ears were long and pointy, and his clothes had a regal look to them.  
  
"Ya think he's noticed his son is gone yet?" A very tall, very lean demon took a long, messy drink from his waterpouch.  
  
"Of course!" the one who kicked the boy replied. "He's probably got his generals looking everywhere for him right now! Wonder if he got the ransom letta yet..."  
  
"Hello boys!"  
  
Chitsuko jumped out of the tree, somersaulting in midair and landing nimbly on her feet beside the fire. The demons merely stared at her as she stood grinning triumphantly around her.  
  
"It's that girl again! The one that killed Hiriho's group!" one cried, springing to his feet.  
  
"That's me!" Chitsuko said sweetly. "Now, which one of you is going to tell me who your master is?"  
  
The demons all remained silent.  
  
"No one?" Chitsuko reached back into her hair, extracting her white rose and holding it up to her cheek coquettishly. "Well then, guess I'l have to beat the crap out of all of you."  
  
"Guess again, girlie!" The fat demon threw himself at her, a rather large mace clutched in his pudgey hand.  
  
"ROSE WHIP!"  
  
Chitsuko's rose morphed into its whip for and was immediately put to work. Like a chain reaction, once one demon was cut down, another leapt up to give Chitsuko a go. She manuevered herself with ease around their weapons and lashed at them with her Rose Whip, slicing them to pieces before they could even make out the proud yet calm smile on her face.  
  
Before long, body parts gushing black blood were strewn around her. A demon's head rested near her food, it's face contorted with surprise and fear, it's owner's last emotions. She kicked it and it rolled away, hitting the base of tree and rocking bath and forth on its face for a moment before remaining still.  
  
With care, Chitsuko made her way to the boy laying on the ground and stooped beside him. She reached for the rope that bound him, feeling around on his back for the knot. This caused the boy to let out a cry of alarm muffle by the cloth in his mouth, and he began to frantically kick his legs, though they were still tied together.  
  
"Shhh, it's alright!" the girl coaxed as she finally found the knot and began to untie it. "I'm not going to hurt you..." When the knot was finally undone, Chitsuko began to pull away the cords, freeing the boys arms and legs.  
  
Without warning his spun around to face her, ripping both the gag out of his mouth and the blindfold off of his face. The cords were yanked out of Chitsuko's grip and they fell to hang loosely around the boy's waist.  
  
Wide soft red eyes met hers. For a split second fear played within them, making the boy look like a frightened little child. And then suddenly he relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief into the night air. Chitsuko realized thatÊ he couldn't have been older than ten or eleven. She smiled at him warmly.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked in a voice particularly strong for his age.  
  
"Your savior, apparantly." Chitsuko's smile remained in place as she stood up and helped him to his feet. He brushed off his clothes and looked up at her once more, pinning her under his gaze and studying her intently.  
  
"What are you?"  
  
"Youko," was the simple reply. "So, are we going to stand here all night and discuss my biology, or can we get out of here? This place is kindy creepy, what with all the loose body parts lying around..."  
  
The young boy looked around at the deceased demons laying in pieces around the fire. "You did this?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
"With what?"  
  
Chitsuko held up her Rose Whip and grinned. "Never leave home without it. How long have you been out here?"  
  
"Days. Maybe a week, I don't know. They didn't really feed me after they captured me..."  
  
"Ohh, poor thing! You can come back to where I live. I'll get you something to eat and nice bed to sleep in. C'mon."  
  
Chitsuko kicked durt on the fire and it dwindled down to nothing. Her Rose Whip returned to its original state and she tucked the flower back into her hair as she put one arm around the boy's shoulders and lead him away from the fresh graveyard.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Suzuki! Shishi! I'm home!"  
  
It was deathly dark when Chitsuko returned to Suzuki's, the young boy beside her. Rinku ran out of his room to meet her, but stopped short when he saw the boy with her.  
  
"Who's the kid?" he asked, taking a hesitant step towards them.  
  
"You should talk." The taller boy crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Rinku.  
  
"Good, you back. I was beginning to worry that..." Suzuki also froze when he saw the boy standing beside Chitsuko. His eyes widened and he murmured something inaudible.  
  
"Suzuki?" Chitsuko looked from the dumbfounded blonde to the angry-looking boy beside her. His light red eyes had hardened slightly, and he was still glaring at Rinku. "Do you know him?"  
  
"Who doesn't know who he is?" Suzuki came forward and kneeled in front of the boy, studying his face. "How did a Makai leader's son end up here? What are you doing here?" he asked the boy.  
  
"He was kidnapped," Chitsuko answered for him. "I overhead his captors talking about a raid on an old temple near the mountains next week. They said something about asking for a ransom for him." She nodded at the boy. "What's so special about him?"  
  
"What's so special about him?" Shishi had emerged from the kitchen beside them and came to stand by Chitsuko, leaning over to get a good look at the boy. "You don't know who this is, Chitsuko?"  
  
"Of course she doesn't." Chuu joined them, still holding his now empty bottle of sake. "She hasn't been in Makai since 'er days in her demon body way back then..." He waved his hand off to the side to illustrate his point. "She don't know what's goin' on here..."  
  
"I still don't understand how you got here..." Suzuki said, studying the boy.  
  
"What?" Chitsuko let out as exasperated sigh. "Who is he?"  
  
Suzuki turned to Chitsuko and stated in a monotone voice, "This is Shura, Yomi's son."  
  
"Who's Yomi?"  
  
"One of the powerful lords of Makai," he said.  
  
"Oh..." Chitsuko said, nodding slightly. And then it hit her. "OOOHH..." Her eyes widened and she stared down at Shura, at a loss for words.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko watched Shura eat, her chin propped thoughtfully on her hands. Shura remained dignified even as he ate, a sure sign of being brought up well. Everyone once and a while he would glance up to meet her smiling face, then would nervously return to his noodles. After fifteen minutes or so of this, he finally set down his chopsticks and looked up at her.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
Chitsuko smiled weakly. "Can't help it."  
  
Shura glanced upwards and ran a finger down his horn. "It's the horn, isn't it?"  
  
The girl giggled then leaned forward on the low table, resting her elbows on its surface. "Tell me, Shura... Did you overhear anything those demons were saying while you were captured."  
  
"Yes... Why?"  
  
"I was just wondering... Did they mention anything called the Dusk Birth?"  
  
Shura slurped a particularly long noodle, then nodded. "Yes. They said something about their Master passing it around among the thieves and trying to recruit new members. They said they wanted to use it on a ningen girl that had managed to enter Makai because she was a major threat to them." The boy looked thoughtful for a minute. "Do you know anything about a ningen girl in our realm?"  
  
Chitsuko chuckled, a small smirk playing on her face. "They're probably talking about me."  
  
"YOU? But you said you were youko!"  
  
"Only half of me is," she replied. "The body that I'm in right now is of Ningenkai origin. My roots lie here, in Makai. I'm a hanyou."  
  
"A half-breed?" Shura's eyebrows shot up.  
  
Chitsuko labored to hide her annoyance, and she spoke through her teeth. "Yes, a half-breed..."  
  
"You're pretty powerful for a half-breed. I could feel your spirit energy from far off, so I knew when you were close to the camp. I didn't expect you to be a girl though..." Shura downed a few more noodles and reached for his cup of green tea.  
  
The girl's eye twitched as she struggled to keep herself from pouncing on this poor child. "Well then... You were in for a surprise."  
  
"What are you doing in Makai anyway?" he asked.  
  
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before answering. "I'm the new Spirit Detective for the Demon World. I'm here on King Enma's orders." She leaned in closer as she questioned him once again. "Did they mention their Master's name at all?"  
  
"No," Shura said, "but they keep talking about how powerful he is. And they're obsessed with mirrors... They use them to magnify their spirit energy or something. They were talking about it once and one of them wanted to see if they could make me blow up by magnifying their spirit energy. And that rope they tied me up with had magical properties; I couldnt' use my own spirit energy to escape."  
  
"Mirrors, huh? I see..." At the words "blow up" the girl feel silent and bowed her head in reverence. It reminded her of Karasu, the unknown friend who had sworn to protect her and lost his life when he took a blow meant for her and Kurama. No, he didn't lose his life... He lost his existence. He was hit with a soul-dissolving sphere of spirit energy and had ceased to exist. Chitsuko closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for him. She had never even gotten the chance to tell him that she was sorry for doubting his promise...  
  
"Alright, Shura?" Suzuki entered the room. "I've set up a futon for you in Rinku's room. You will sleep here tonight, and then tomorrow I'll take you back to your father's city."  
  
"Okay." Shura finished off is noodles and gulped down the rest of his tea. "Thank you." Chitsuko took the dishes and brought them into the kitchen. Setting them down in the sink, she washed them and placed them on a towel nearby to dry.  
  
"That was some find," Shishi said as he came up behind her, dropping more dishes into the sink.  
  
"I know. Say, there's a bunch of stolen goods back at the demons' camp. Whenever we get a chance we should go out there and take them back to wherever they belong."  
  
"Right. We'll do that tomorrow while Suzuki takes Shura home." Shishi smiled at her then exited the kitchen.  
  
Chitsuko sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. She was two months into her job as Spirit Detective and already strange things had started happening. She left the dishes in the sink, and after calling good-night to the other inhabitants of the house, she went to her room and retired for the night.  
  
Would she have a story for the boys when she got back... 


	6. Chapter 5 Yomi

AHAHAHA! AP EURO WILL NOT HINDER MY WRITING! BWAHA!  
  
Okay, before I get started with Chapter 5 of Revival, here's some FREE ADVERTISING!  
  
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE... THAT INCLUDES YOU! ::points threateningly at YOU:: Go and read Hiruiseki by Kaeru Soyokaze! The story is genius. GENIUS, I TELL YOU! It's about Kuronue and he came back to life and there's this sweet little Koorime girl and he has to protect her from... JUST GO READ IT! It's beautiful and stuph. ^^ And Kia-chan put Chitsuko in it. ^^ ::Feels loved.:: But go read it, because I read it and I LOVE IT TO DEATH! ::huggles the fic.::  
  
That having been said, here's Chapter 5 of Revival! =^^=  
  
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Chapter 5: Yomi  
  
The next morning, Suzuki left with Shura. He did not return until late that night. He slid the door shut behind him with a loud bang, kicking off his shoes and retreating barefoot down the hallway to the living room.  
  
Chitsuko was curled up in a comfortable-looking armchair, her feet dangling over one armrest and a rather large book in her lap. She looked up when Suzuki plopped down onto the couch across from her.  
  
"Did Shura get home alright?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," the blonde youkai said with a sigh.   
  
"Good... Oh!" Chitsuko suddenly remembered what she had overhead the demons saying the night she rescued Shura. "There's a raid six days from now, next Wednesday night. There's a temple at the base of the mountains that's supposed to hold some ancient treasure... A mirror, I think. You guys wanna come?"  
  
Suzuki raised an eyebrow. "You're asking us to come with you?"  
  
"Well...yeah," she replied sheepishly. "What if I'm outnumbered? I could use the help..." She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes pleadingly at him. "Pleeeeease?" she weedled.  
  
Suzuki bit his lip. It was hard enough keeping this girl in line, let alone resisting her charm. He couldn't take it. She sure was a fox alright...  
  
"Fine." He closed his eyes and settled onto the couch for a late nap. "We'll come with you."  
  
"Yay!" Chitsuko giggled like a child then went back to her book, very pleased with her powers of persuasion.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko woke up the next morning to Shishi's apprehensive face. He was shaking her gently in an attempt to wake her up.  
  
"What do you want? ...What's wrong?"  
  
The youkai's face was set and very pale, but his fuschia eyes were shining with anxiety. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulling her into a sitting position.  
  
"You need to get up. There's somehere here to see you."  
  
Chitsuko climbed off her futon and got to her feet, crossing the room and throwing open her closet. "Who?"  
  
Shishi didn't answer as he watched her pull down a pair of white pants and a short blue tunic with gold trimming. Since she had arrived in Makai, Suzuki had taken her to buy clothes in some of the surrounding youkai towns. She had brought a minimal amount of clothing from Ningenkai, and if she was going to blend in with the other Demon World inhabitants, she needed to look the part. She turned to look at Shishi, her clothes folded over her arm. "Well? Who's here?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Turn around. You can tell me while I'm getting dressed."  
  
The samurai immediately obeyed, training his eyes on the wall as he spoke. "Yomi's three generals are here to see you."  
  
"Yomi..." Chitsuko shed her nightclothes, a pair of Kurama's satin pajamas, and slipped on her pants. "That's Shura's father, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"He's one of those Makai lords, isn't he..." Chitsuko said this more to herself than Shishi as she pinned the tunic shut over her right breast and tied a matching gold scarf around her waist to secure it. "What would he want with me?"  
  
"You did save his son..."  
  
"Do you think it's to thank me? You can turn around now."  
  
Shishi did so and studyed the girl as she looked at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. She pulled a brush off her low desk and began to brush her hair, her wavy golden tresses giving off a pale shine in the early morning light streaming through the window.  
  
"He doesn't normally send his generals unless..."  
  
"He sent GENERALS?"   
  
"I just told you! And keep your voice down..."  
  
"But... Oh crap, what did I DO? Do you think he's mad that a ningen girl is in Makai?"  
  
"No, no, demons and humans cross between the realms all the time and no one says anything. No one really cares." Shishi took the girl by the arm and led her out of her bedroom and down the hallway. "Please try to control yourself. Don't say anything that'll make them mad..."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
Shishi led Chitsuko to the entrance hall. Standing in a line close to the wall was Chuu, Suzuki, and Rinku. Shishi walked over to join them, leaving Chitsuko standing alone before three of the most menacing-looking men she had ever seen in her life.  
  
There were three of them, two relatively tall and one short one standing between them. All of them wore a uniform that reminded Chitsuko of combat gear. Their chins and noses were pointed, and their heads were completely shaved. Their eyes seemed to be nothing but slits, except for the one in the middle who stared at her with sharp black eyes. He nodded acknowledgingly to her, then stepped forward.  
  
"You are the girl who saved young Shura?" His voice was stern, yet soft.  
  
"Yes." Chitsuko clasped her hands in front of her so the generals wouldn't see them shaking.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
A sweatdrop rolled down her temple. She didn't know which name to give them, her ningen name or her demon one...  
  
"I have two. My real name is Hanyou Kohana, a youko of the Makai. In Ningenkai I was given the name Chitsuko Ichihara."  
  
Big mistake.  
  
"She's over-bold," Shishi muttered to Chuu, who could do nothing but stare at Chitsuko. Rinku's mouth was hanging open at he watched the scene unfurl before him.  
  
The general did not flinch. "What's this about Ningenkai?"  
  
"I...I was born her over five hundred years ago... I was left in the care of Youko Kurama, but... but he sent my spirit to Ningenaki, into the future, to be reborn... because I was in danger..." Chitsuko stammered.  
  
This time the short general's eyebrows raised slightly. "Youko Kurama?"  
  
"Y-Yes, sir." YOU IDIOT! Chitsuko screamed at herself in her mind. Don't call him "sir," you'll sound like you're a scared little girl! Now he's going to bite your head off!  
  
The general stared at Chitsuko for a long moment. The girl squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze and stared at the floor, unable to say anything else. After what seemed like at eternity, the general spoke again.  
  
"I am Hokushin, Lord Yomi's chief general. You will be coming with us back to Lord Yomi's city."  
  
"WHAT?" Chuu grabbed Rinku and slapped a hand over the boy's mouth.  
  
Hokushin turned to look at the four youkai standing against the wall. "The girl will be coming back to Yomi's with us. Yomi would like to speak to her personally. Come."  
  
Hokushin took Chitsuko firmly by the arm and led her to the door. The two taller generals, still silent, followed. The girl turned, trying to catch a glimpse of her friends. All four of them looked shocked beyond belief, and Rinku was struggling in Chuu's arms. She caught Suzuki's eye and managed to give him a frightened look before the door shut behind her and the four of them tropped out into the early morning sunlight.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They walked in silence. Hokushin walked ahead, whilt Chitsuko walked behind him, sandwiched between the two taller generals. Every now and then she would steal a glance at them; they were unflinching as stone and kept their eyes focused ahead of them. The sun was high overhead now; Chitsuko guessed it was around noon. Her stomach growled and she clutched at it, praying that Hokushin or the others hadn't heard it. She had been woken up very early that morning, and hadn't had time to eat anything before she left.  
  
"You will be fed after Yomi speaks with you," Hokushin said suddenly.  
  
Damnit, Chitsuko thought.  
  
"Do not worry. Lord Yomi will not hurt you."  
  
"Oh, good." You're such an idiot, the girl scolded to herself. They probably think you're one of those those sterotypical babbling, giggling ningen girls in this form. If you were in your demon form, well, maybe they'd think different...  
  
With a start Chitsuko realized that they hadn't stopped for rest. Chitsuko's legs ached slightly, but she did not complain. She had worked herself hard to become strong and control her spirit energy. She wouldn't let a little walk across the plains get the best of her, oh no...  
  
And then her right knee buckled and she stumbled and fell.  
  
"Damnit!" Chitsuko didn't bother to hide her frustration with herself as she got back to her feet. The three generals had stopped, and Hokushin had turned around and walked back to her. He stopped in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Are you tired?"  
  
"No," Chitsuko responded softly, her cheeks red with embarassment.  
  
Much to her surprise, the general's lips curled in the faintest of smiles. "Ningen bodies do not compare to that of the youkai, now do they?"  
  
"No, they don't..." Chitsuko let herself smile and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear.  
  
"At any rate, I can understand if you are fatigued. Here..." Hokushin turned around, putting his back to her, and leaned over. He took hold of her arms and pulled them around his neck from behind. Then he stood up straight and hoisted the girl onto his back, gripped her thighs firmly to keep her from sliding off."  
  
"Oh! Uh, th-thank you..." Chitsuko stuttered as Hokushin moved back into his spot between the two taller generals. They set out again, all three of them in step, Hokushin with Chitsuko on his back.  
  
Another hour passed in silence, and the morning waned to afternoon. Chitsuko had just begun to nod off, still on Hokushin's back, when he announced, "Where's here."  
  
The girl looked up to find that they were approaching the gates to a large city full of frightening-looking buildings. They were extremely tall, taller than the skyscrapes Chitsuko had seen in Ningenkai, and their shapes were numerous and strange. The sky around the city was a nasty dark orange and dotted with dark purple clouds that seemed to promised rain, and there was a faint static crackle in the air.  
  
The three generals passed through the gates and onto the streets of the city. They paused for a moment, allowing Chitsuko to climb down off of Hokushin's back and fall into step with them. Now the two taller generals were behind her, while she walked side-bye side with Hokushin.  
  
The streets were teeming with youkai, some ugly, some relatively nice to look at. As the girl passed through the streets with the generals, she found that she was attracting numerous stares and a few disgusted looks. As she passed three demons sitting on a bench at a street corner, she overheard their conversation.  
  
"Yuck, is that a ningen?"  
  
"That's terrible, what is she doing here?"  
  
"She's kinda pretty... Ningens don't get that pretty."  
  
"Could she be a half-breed?"  
  
"I doubt it. How many of those do you see around these days, hm?"  
  
Chitsuko turned around to shoot them a nasty look, but was stopped when she bumped into one of the taller generals' chests. Mumbling a quick apology, she looked around frantically. "Why did we stop?"  
  
Hokushin pointed to the building in front of them. It was made of stone, with large glass window here and there on the higher floors. Chitsuko had to lean back to take in its full scale, and even then she couldn't see the top. Without a word Hokushin and the other generals led her through the door. It slid shut behind them and they made their why across a busy stone lobby to a rather large carpeted staircase.  
  
Hokushin turned to the other generals. "Stay here and let no up these stairs. Lord Yomi does not wish for there to be any interruptions." The two generals nodded and took up positions on either side of the staircase near the stone banisters, standing still as stone and glaring at the assortment of youkai in the lobby, many of which who had now turned to stare at the golden-haired girl with them.  
  
"Come." Hokushin took Chitsuko's arm once more and led her up the staircase.  
  
The stairs seemed wind endless upward. Chitsuko felt as though her legs were going to fall off. She stopped once to catch her breath, and Hokushin took it up himself to hoist her onto his back once more. This time Chitsuko stayed wide awake, amusing herself by counting the torches on sconces on the wall.  
  
They reached the top of the stairs after what felt like hours to Chitsuko. Looking around, she found that they were standing in the middle of a short hallway that wound around corners in either direction. Hokushin set her down and led her to the right. They turned the corner and Chitsuko groaned at the seemingly endless maze of hallway that undoubted lay before them.  
  
Hokushin chuckled, but did not say anything.  
  
Chitsuko willed herself to stay on her feet as they took turn after turn, going deeper and deeper into the building. At last they came to a large metallic-looking blue door embedded in one of the walls. It slid open of its own accord to admit Chitsuko and Hokushin, and closed behind them with a soft click as they entered the room. It was of a good size and dimly lit. The walls were lined with chairs and another gleaming gold door stood at the far end across from them.  
  
"Stay here. I will announce your presence to Lord Yomi." Hokushin nodded to her, then crossed the room and disappeared through the sliding gold door.  
  
Chitsuko was alone now. She stared around her at the sea of chairs and sighed. Last time she had seen this many empty chairs was in school. School... She didn't miss Sarasaki or Meiou High, but she missed the feeling of just having a reason to go somewhere, somewhere where you're not going to get hurt or risk your life. Somewhere where your friends were...  
  
Again her thoughts drifted to Kurama, and she looked sadly at the crimson carpet. Why she had agreed to come here, she didn't know. Probably to escape any other fate King Enma might have had in store for her. She remembered the anxiety in Kurama's bright emerald eyes when Koenma had given her her punishment, and she wondered, Does he still miss me...?  
  
The gold door slid open and Hokushin stepped out. This time, the door did not close behind him as he crossed the room once more. He stopped in front of the metallic blue doors and turned around to face Chitsuko.  
  
"Lord Yomi is ready to speak with you. But before I leave, I must ask you one question."  
  
"What?" Chitsuko blinked, apprehension twisting her stomach.  
  
"Your spirit energy," Hokushin said softly. "It is very strong, very powerful. There is an ancient quality to it that makes it hard to distinguish, and hard to trace. Tell me this: are you truly a hanyou?"  
  
Chitsuko was a bit taken back by the question, but she did her best to remain unflinching. "Yes, I am."  
  
"Very well then." Hokushin nodded and the doors opened. "I will return when you are ready to depart. We will take you home then." He turned on his heel and left, the doors sliding softly shut behind him.  
  
Her heart racing, her head pounding, Chitsuko turned and stepped through the gold door. It too shut behind her, making her anxiety intensify. What did Yomi want to speak to her about?  
  
"Please. Do not worry. I will not harm you."  
  
The voice was deep and wise. Chitsuko looked around for its source and found it standing in front of a long glass window that covered almost the entire opposite wall. His back was to her, and Chitsuko could see his long obsidian hair shimmering in the late sunlight that pentrated the dark sky. His was tall, and his clothes were like Shura's; regal and flowing. He wore a long-sleeved lavendar shirt and pants with a long lake red tunic over it, open in the front with a mint-green sash tied around his waist.  
  
"Lord Yomi." It was stupid to say, but she said it anyway. She gulped as he turned around, and she got a good look at his face.  
  
He was handsome. His mouth was set in a straight, solemn line, and his skin was smooth and unbroken by scars or scratches. But the most perculiar thing about him was his ears. Three long pointed ears stuck out on either side of his head where one normal ear should be, and six more strange ears poked through his hair; two sets on top of his scalp, and one on either side of his forehead, just above his temples. His eyes were softly closed, and there was a peaceful look on his face. He took a few steps forward and said, "Miss Chitsuko Ichihara, or rather, Hanyou Kohana."  
  
"Yes." Chitsuko nodded, then took another step forward. She was used to meeting odd-looking demons, but now she was in their territory, and she felt nervous.  
  
A small smile broke Yomi's blank expression. "Before I say anything, I would just like to thank you for rescuing my son. Shura has told me much about you since his return. But he did not mention how strong you spirit energy is... However, Hokushin, my general, did..." His smiled faded and he held out his hand, beconing for her to come closer. "Come here, please."  
  
Chitsuko obeyed, her legs feeling like blocks of lead; they still ached from walking so far and so long. She heard Yomi chuckle softly as she stopped a few feet away from him.  
  
"I know, those stairs are a pain. I trust Hokushin took care you?" Yomi didn't wait for an answer. He closed the gap between himself and Chitsuko and reached out to cup her cheek in one hand. His eyes remained closed, with no sign of opening and revealing his hues.  
  
With a start Chitsuko realized he was blind.  
  
"You are wondering about my ears, no doubt. As you may have noticed, I am blind. It was a very unfortunate accident... I grew these ears to inhance my hearing and spirit awareness. My vision isn't missed." Yomi smiled again as he ran his hand down Chitsuko's cheek, his fingers gently tracing over her eyelids and down the bridge of her nose. He ran one hand through her long golden-brown tresses, then set his hand on her shoulder. "Shura did not tell me you were pretty, either."  
  
"Thank you..." Chitsuko blushed, and Yomi's hand touched her cheek again. He smiled again as he felt the heat there.  
  
"You are still wondering why I've called you here. Surely I did not make you come all this way just to thank you?" Yomi stepped back, and Chitsuko she breathed a sigh of relief. She had been getting nervous, what with all the touching...  
  
Chitsuko nodded, then remembered he was blind and said, "Yes."  
  
Yomi's smile vanished and he turned back towards the window. Chitsuko followed him, her eyes wandering to the strange sky as he spoke.  
  
"I have heard you are tracking a group of youkai thieves for King Enma. Is this true?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You are his new Spirit Detective for Makai?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I...broke a few Reikai laws."  
  
"They must have been serious for King Enma to punish you. But I see he went easy on you..."  
  
"Yes..." Chitsuko's eyes traveled down, and she nearly choked when she saw how far up they were. She backed away from the window slightly and involuntarily closer to Yomi.  
  
"This bandits have become a problem. They have raided Makai vaults and the homes of certain youkai individuals, but they seem to have a taste for temples. They've sacked two very prominent ones in the past week, and are set to raid an old abandoned one at the mountains' base."  
  
"Yes, I know," Chitsuko said. "I live near there. I'm going to stop them. They have something I must get back for King Enma..."  
  
"I understand. But I must warn you..." His voice became softer. "These demons seem to have an uncanny ability to create rips in space and time. They have been making jumps; that is the explaination behind their stealth. We don't know where they will crop up next, but we do know that this next raid will include all of them. If they can be cut down then..."  
  
"Leave it to me. I'll take care of it." She turned and smiled at Yomi, who seemed to sense it and smiled in return. "It's my job, afterall..."  
  
Yomi nodded. "My generals overheard a group of them talking about ripping a larger portal between here and Ningenkai. However, it would take a large quantity of spirit energy to create a breech that big. I doubt even their so-called 'powerful' master could do such a thing..."  
  
"Excuse me for interrupting, but have you heard them mention their master at all?"  
  
"Hokushin has reported that they speak very highly of someone known as Touhin. However, before my generals slaughtered them and returned the stolen goods they heard another youkai tell him it was rude to call their master by that name. We are not sure what it means, but it is a lead."  
  
"Right. Thank you..." Chitsuko trailed off and looked up into the sky once more.  
  
"You spirit energy is very strong..." Yomi now stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. "And Hokushin tells me you know Youko Kurama personally."  
  
A pang shot through her heart. "Yes. I do."  
  
"How did you come to know him?"  
  
"I'm sure Hokushin told you of my origin as well... I was born in Makai a hanyou, and I was left in his care when my mortal father disappeared and my youko mother was brutally murdered. He sent my spirit to Ningenkai to be reborn, and somehow I ended up in the future." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "He saved me. I met him again in Ningenkai, in his human form. Shuichi Minamino, he's called now..." When Yomi didn't say anything, she continued. "He lives with his ningen mother. They're very close. I'm friends with him and the Reiki Tantei..."  
  
"Are you close to Kurama?" Yomi asked quietly.  
  
"Yes..." Chitsuko closed her eyes. "Yes... I am..."  
  
Yomi nodded and stepped away from her. A strange tingling sensation was left on her shoulders where he had touched her. "Thank you. That is all I wanted to know." Suddenly he turned to the side and said, "Shura, how long have you been listening?"  
  
"Not too long!" Yomi's son bounced into the room, his soft red eyes alight. "Are you done talking to her? Is she staying for a while? Can I go play with her?"  
  
Yomi smiled and patted his son on the head. "It is up to her whether she would like to play or not."  
  
Shura looked at Chitsuko expectantly, and the girl broke into a smile. "Of course I'll stay for a while and play. Although," she looked out the window, "it might be late by the time I get home..."  
  
"Do not worry about it," Yomi said. "I will send word to Suzuki that you will be staying here for the night. We will set up a room for you in my quarters for you to sleep, and you can eat with Shura before you two play." He smiled at her, and Chitsuko bowed to him gratefully.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yomi."  
  
Yomi nodded, then waved his son off. "Go on, you two. Shura will show you to his rooms, Kohana." He smiled and turned away, returning to the spot by the window where she had originally found him.  
  
"Come on! I've got lots of neat stuff... Hey, maybe since your spirit energy is so high we can spar!" Shura said excitedly as he dragged Chitsuko out of the room by her hand. The doors both shut behind her and she obediently followed the young boy down the hall.  
  
"Sparring would be fun," she said with a small smile as they turned a corner and entered the labyrinth of corridors once more. 


	7. Chapter 6 Mirrors

Okay, okay I know it's short. Kill me. x.x But all the exciting stuff comes in over the next two chapters or so and I couldn't fit this one into Chapter 5 and it doesn't belong in Chapter 7 so VIOLA! Chapter 6. Poof. =^^;=  
  
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Chapter 6: Mirrors  
  
The next morning, Yomi, Shura, Hokushin and the other two generals escorted Chitsuko to the city gates. The procession caught the attention of every youkai wandering the street; they clustered together and got as close as they could without receiving a death glare from one of the generals.  
  
A question was rasied: who was that girl walking with them? What would Lord Yomi be doing with her? And why was she so heavily guarded? They studied the girl walking among the men; a rather slender girl who seemed to be approaching womanhood. Her long wavy hair was golden-brown in color and shone like precious metal in the sunlight. Her eyes were a sparkling blue-gray, sharp and bright. She seemed to have been outfitted regally by Yomi's personal servants; she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants of a satiny, pearly white, and an ivy green tunic was tied closed by a red sash around her waist. Why Lord Yomi would outfit a common girl in that manner puzzled the inhabitants of the city. But her spirit energy shot through the roof. No one had ever felt spirit energy as confusingly strong as this. And yet the girl looked completely innocent...  
  
Who WAS she?  
  
Much to Chitsuko's surprise and delight, Shishiwakamaru was waiting for her at the gate. She ran to him and threw her arms around him in a hug. Shishi, a bit shocked, put his arms around her in return.  
  
"You've been gone for one day and already it's not the same without you there." He smiled and the two of them turned back to Yomi and his generals. Shura ran forward and Chitsuko gave him a quick hug.  
  
"When will you be coming back to play again?" he asked.  
  
Chitsuko looked up at Yomi, who smiled and said, "Kohana is welcome here always. She may come any time she likes, but you may have to wait until her work is finished."  
  
"Okay," Shura said reluctantly, though he was smiling, and returned to his father.  
  
"I thank you again, Kohana, for saving my son. I am forever grateful." He nodded to her in reverence.  
  
The girl blushed. "You're welcome. Good-bye! And thank you!" Hokushin nodded good-bye to her and Shura waved as Chitsuko and Shishi began their long journey back over the plains and towards the mountains where they lived.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So what did you two talk about?"  
  
It was late afternoon, and Shishi and Chitsuko had made it back to the forest around Suzuki's house. This time, Chitsuko had braved the walk and was quite pleased with herself; she had rested and been fed so fitfully in Yomi's city that she felt neither fatigue nor hunger all day. Placing her hands behind her head and looking up at the sky, Chitsuko sighed softly.  
  
"He thanked me for saving Shura. And we talked about those demons."  
  
"He knows of them?" Shishi sounded surprised.  
  
"Yeah. Apparantly they've been ransacking all of Makai." Chitsuko frowned thoughtfully. "I wonder what their motive is..."  
  
"CHITSUKO-CHAN!"  
  
Chitsuko was pulled from her thoughts as a rather tall someone slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her. The girl and her attacker crashed to the ground, and Chitsuko struggled to catch her breath as she pulled her face out of the dirt. She rolled over onto her back to stare into the eyes of the one who was pinning her to the ground, which were wide and the clearest shade of blue she had ever seen.  
  
"JIN!"  
  
The Wind Master climbed off of the kitsune and pulled her into a sitting position before throwing his well-toned arms around her.  
  
"Good ta see ya, Chit-chan! Fancy meetin' you out here!" he laughed as he rocked her from side to side. Chitsuko giggled and returned the friendly embrace.   
  
"Jin, give her room to breath!" Touya came to stand next to Shishi, his arms folded over his chest and a smile on her face.  
  
"Touya?" Jin finally let Chitsuko go, allowing her to spring to her feet and run to Touya. The Ice Master embraced her as well, though not as fiercely as Jin. "What are you doing out here?"  
  
"We was jus' goin' ta see ol' Suzuki and Shishi here, and that little kid Rinku and that guy with the mowhawk, Chuu." He nodded towards Shishiwakamaru. "I see you've met Gremlin Boy, but have ya met the others?"  
  
"'Gremlin Boy'?" Chitsuko's left eyebrow shot up.  
  
"Don't ask..." Shishi muttered through his teeth before shooting Jin a reproachful look. "She lives with us," he said to the Shinobi.  
  
"Really now? Is that right?" Jin got to his feet and brushed off his white pants.  
  
"I have been for two months," the girl said with a smile.  
  
"Well, you found a good home," Touya said. "They'll take good care of you."  
  
"I know. They have been." Chitsuko smiled and the four of them trooped through the last stretch of woods to Suzuki's.  
  
Rinku, Chuu, and Suzuki were waiting on the front porch when they arrived. "Jin! Touya!" Rinku ran down the steps and jumped onto into Jin's arms, knocking off his own hat the process. The Wind Master ruffled the boy's hair, picked up his hat and carried him back to the porch. Both Shinobi members shook hands with Suzuki and recieved a hearty slap on the back from Chuu.  
  
"Good teh see ya, boys!" Chuu said jovially. "How's the ol' Shinobi job goin', eh?"  
  
"Pretty slow, actually," Touya remarked with a frown. "We can't seem to pin down this one group of demons..."  
  
"Funny. I have the same problem," Chitsuko said, turning to the Ice Master. "Are your thieves?"  
  
"Yes. They've been terrorizing all of Makai and we never know where they'll pop up next. They seem to be able to travel thousands of miles overnight."  
  
"That's because they're using dimensional rips."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Everyone's attention was on her now. She repeated to them what Yomi had told her. "I'm after the same group of youkai. They have the power to open rips in time and space. That's how they're able to travel so far in so little time. According to Lord Yomi, their master has been referred to as Touhin, but his true name is unknown. There's a raid planned for next week in a temple over by the mountains. I'm going to try to cut them down there..."  
  
"That's all valuable information, but Yomi didn't tell you about the mirrors," Touya said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"They use mirrors to amplify their spirit energy," Touya explained. "They all carry a small one with them, sort of like a compact. When they use their spirit energy, they use the mirror to magnify its power and throw it at their opponent. That is, if they don't use their normal weapons." He nodded to Jin. "Our Shinobi tribe attacked a group of them just outside of our territory. They're tricky, and several managed to get away."  
  
"Mirrors, huh?" Chitsuko crossed her arms over her chest and stared into space. "I fought someone once who used mirrors to magnify his spirit energy... He was harassing Kurama and I..."  
  
"Poor lass, always gettin' harassed and molested and whatnot..." Jin gave her a quick, comforting hug.  
  
Chitsuko smiled in thanks. Suzuki lead everyone inside just as the sun started to sink behind the moutains. As the boys filtered into the kitchen, Chitsuko ducked into the living room. Crossing over to the window, she stared out over the woods towards the mountains. A tall forest of bamboo grew thickly at its base, stretched for what seemed like miles in each direction.  
  
In less than a week, Chitsuko would troop over there with Suzuki, Shishi, Rinku, and Chuu. Maybe Jin and Touya would come too. A small bubble of apprehension welled up in the pit of her stomach, and she remembered what Touya had said about the mirrors. There was only one person she knew of who used mirrors in that manner...  
  
Zoutarou.  
  
And he was dead. Dead and gone, destroyed by her and Kurama. Zoutarou had claimed that Kurama had stolen his soul. Kurama hadn't had a clue was the clear-eyed demon was talking about. Chitsuko had thought he had made a false claim, possibly lied just to give a reason for attacking her and Kurama...  
  
His eyes...  
  
A violent shiver ran down Chitsuko's spine and she turned away from the window, heading for the kitchen and the laughter seeping through the door. She didn't want to think about Zoutarou's eyes. They were clear and pupiless, frightening and bone-chilling. When he had looked at her, she felt as though she were being stripped of her secrets, as though he could look into her very soul...  
  
She was greeted by the smiles of her friends upon entering the kitchen, and all memories of those tortuous days were wiped from her mind.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Touya squeezed his eyes shut as another moan escaped from the room. With a sigh he sat down with his back to door, listening to the sobs and whimpers that leaked through the walls from within. He pulled his knees up to his chest and bowed his head remorsefully.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Shishi whispered as he came out of his room, spotting Touya sitting against Chitsuko's closed door. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I am." The Ice Master opened his eyes to look at him. "But she's not..." He winced as another soft sob reached his ears. "I heard her all the way down the hallway. Jin could sleep through a hurrican, but it woke up me. Something's wrong..."  
  
"I know." Shishi sat down next to him, crossing his legs and setting his hands on his knees. "She cries in her sleep. She doesn't do it very often, but if she goes to bed with a somber look on her face, then you can expect to hear her crying at night."  
  
"I think I know why..." Touya said quietly. "I think...she misses Kurama..."  
  
"That's what we thought," Shishi replied. "Were the two of them...close?"  
  
"He's in love with her. And she's in love with him. At least, last time I saw them together they were kissing each other good-bye...rather passionately."  
  
"I see." Shishi let out sigh of his own. "She really misses him. She has a picture of him and her together sitting near her futon."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
The two of them held their breath. When no more moans or sobs could be heard, they both breathed a sigh of relief. They quietly got to their feet and retreated down the hallway away from Chitsuko's room.  
  
"We've decided to try and help her on her missions. The sooner she completes her punishment from King Enma, the sooner she can return to Ningenkai."  
  
Touya nodded, and Shishi paused is his doorway to watch the Ice Master walk back to the living room, where futons had been set up for him and Jin. Shishi slid his door shut and crawled back onto his own futon. Before he fell asleep, he heard one more soft whimper coming from the room next to him, one distinct word that made the samurai send out a silent prayer for the poor girl...  
  
"Kurama..." 


	8. Chapter 7 The Raid

Rinku: ::sings:: Guess who's back... back again....--  
  
Lex: ::slaps hand over Rinku's mouth::  
  
Rinku:: o.o  
  
Lex: Don't TELL them! =^^=  
  
Chitsuko: Who's coming? WHO?! Are they going to molest me in any way, shape, or form?  
  
Lex: No...  
  
Chitsuko: Phew...  
  
Lex: ...Not too much.  
  
Chitsuko: O.O  
  
Lex: ^^;; Heh heh... heh........................ I'm so evil. -.-;;  
  
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Chapter 7: The Raid  
  
They had set out late that afternoon. Now it was dusk as Chitsuko, Suzuki, Shishiwakamaru, Rinku, Chuu, Jin, and Touya approached the forest of bamboo outside of the temple. The temple had once served as a palace for one of the first demon lords long ago, but it had been abandoned and modified to accomodate the needs of a temple. Shortly after it was abandoned again, this time forgotten.  
  
The seven of them stood on the outskirts of the forest. It was denser than it had appeared when Chitsuko looked at it from Suzuki's house. The moutains towered over them, their peaks shrouded in cloud and mist. Night began to creep over them, and it was Chitsuko who turned the others first.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
They set out into the forest in a huddled group, prepared to attack when necessary. Rinku was already playing with his yo-yos, the little toys whirling up and down on their strings. Chuu had his usual bottle of sake in one hand and took a drink from it ocassionally, while Shishi carried his unseathed sword in one hand. Chitsuko had donned her blue tunic and white pants again; they were confortable and wouldn't hinder her when she fought.   
  
The darkness around them began to thin where it should have been getting darker. Touya, who was walking in the lead, stopped and held an arm out. The group halted.  
  
"This isn't right. We should be approaching the temple now, which means the forest is thicker and it should be darker..." He sniffed the air as the others around him began to scan the surrounding trees for any sign of the theives.  
  
Chitsuko ducked under Touya's arm and ran ahead to see what the cause for the odd light was. She stopped suddenly, staring ahead into a sea of bright lights. The others came up behind her and immediately brandished their weapons once they saw what was before them.  
  
Some low shrubs growing around the bamboo trees had been set on fire, and now they were giving off a soft purple-colored smoke.  
  
"What kind of plants do that?" Chitsuko stepped forward towards the smoke. It didn't smell like normal smoke. In fact, it had no smell at all, she kneeled down and took a clump of smoldering leaves in her hands.  
  
Suzuki stooped to pluck a leaf from a nearby bush that had been left alone. He studied it for a moment, then cried, "CHITSUKO! NO! PUT THAT DOWN!"  
  
"Why?" Chitsuko asked just as she brought the plant to her nose and sniffed the smoke. She squatted there for a moment, still as stone, staring at the burning leaves with the blankest of expressions. Then, quite suddenly, her face relaxed, and she rocked back on her feet and plopped down onto the ground, dropping the leaves beside her.  
  
"Oh...no..." Suzuki dropped the leaf and covered his face with his hands, shaking his head violently. "Nononononononooooo...."  
  
"What? What did she do?" Rinku turned and looked back at Suzuki as Shishi ran to Chitsuko's side. "What happened to her?"  
  
Suzuki pointed to the burning plants, looking as though he might cry from frustration. "There's a plant like that in Ningenkai. Whoever sniffs its fumes is subjected to delirious illusions and loses all known common sense and intelligence."  
  
"You mean they turn into Kuwabara?" Shishi shouted sarcastically as he propped Chitsuko up into a sitting position. Her eyes were glazed over and she looked as though she were in a trance.  
  
"Haha." Suzuki rolled his eyes at Shishi and continued. "It's poisonous if used in mass quantities, such as it is now..." He covered his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from breathing the smoke, motioning for the others to do the same.  
  
"What do the ningens call it?" Jin asked through his hand.  
  
"Marijuana."  
  
Rinku's eyes widened. "That sounds bad."  
  
"It is bad... Shishi, is she alright?" Suzuki said as he came to stand beside the samurai.  
  
"SHISHI! AHAHAHAHAHA! HA!" Chitsuko clung to Shishi, her eyes still glassy. She began to laugh hysterically and point at Shishi, jabbing her finger into his chest a couple of times.  
  
"Oh man, she's tweekin'," Chuu said as he came up behind Suzuki.  
  
"TWEEK! Hahaha!" Chitsuko rolled onto her side and continued to jab Shishi in the chest with her finger. "Tweek! Tweeky tweeky tweek..."  
  
"DAMNIT!" Suzuki shouted. "I bet this was their plan! They were going to get all of us disoriented then rob the temple!"  
  
Touya let a low growl escape from his throat as he ran around the area, freezing the burning plants and bringing their smoke production to a halt. When he was finished he came to stand around Chitsuko with the rest of the group. The girl was still laying in Shishi's arms, laughing hysterically and poking the bishonen in the chest.  
  
With an exasperated sigh Shishi swept the girl into his arms and stood up. "We're not getting anywhere with her like this..."  
  
Chitsuko calmed down until she was only giggling, and now she buried her face in Shishi's shirt.  
  
The samurai's eye twitched.  
  
"Listen, we just need to kill those demons and find the Dusk Birth. How hard can that be?"  
  
Loud, laughing voices could be heared ahead of them. There was a quick flash of light, then another, followed by several more...  
  
"The moonlight reflecting off their mirrors," Touya said quietly, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"Shishi, put Chitsuko down in the trees. She should be okay. The effect should wear off soon... I hope..." Suzuki nodded to a thick clump of trees and ran after Touya as the Ice Master darted through the bamboo in the opposite direction.  
  
"Right."  
  
"Heeheehee, Shishi..."  
  
Shishi set the giggling girl down in the middle of the bamboo trees. She looked up at him, her stormy eyes glinting in the darkness. They had lost some of their filmy sheen, which meant she hadn't taken in enough of the plant's fumes to knock her out completely.  
  
"Now you stay here..."  
  
"OKAY!"  
  
"Shhhh!" Shishi ran back to the others, holding his katana out in front of him, and disappeared through the trees.  
  
Chitsuko turned to one of the bamboo chutes growing out of the ground next to her. Tilting her head coquettishly to the side, she poked it and said, "You remind me of my boyfriend. He's a damn sexy fox! Are you a damn sexy fox?"  
  
There was a yell, and the sound of metal on metal, and then a bright flash of blue light lit up the forest. In the brief instant that the light shone, the girl could just make out the shapes of her friends fighting against a horde of demons. A second later, two ran past her in the darkness.  
  
"The Mirror of Stolen Sacrifice isn't there!"  
  
"Master Zoutarou will not be pleased!"  
  
That name...  
  
Chitsuko sat up. She strained to hear more as they ran away.  
  
"He's going to kill us..."  
  
"Not if we kill him first!"  
  
"But he's already dead, you idiot."  
  
"Oh... Right."  
  
Chitsuko scrambled to her feet and squeezed through the tight web of bamboo. "I know that name..." she mused aloud. The plant's effects were starting to wear off, and slowly her mind was beginning to clear...  
  
"CHITSUKO! WATCH OUT!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH! ROSEWHIPROSEWHIPROSEWHIP!" Chitsuko yanked her white rose out of her hair and aided its transformation into her Rose Whip. She turned around just as demon stabbed at her with a long knife, narrowly missing her stomach. His body had been hacked into pieces before he hit the ground.  
  
Chitsuko whirled around just as Chuu ran towards her. "You alrigh'?"  
  
"Yeah..." Chitsuko rubbed her temples and blinked several times. All at once the fog was lifted and she could see clearly. She looked up at Chuu, and all at once the words of the demons came flooding back to her. "Zoutarou..."  
  
All at once the wind picked up, whirled around her and blowing her hair into her eyes. Chuu reached out to shield her from the wind, but a powerful force dragged her away from him. She was hoisted into the air as something misty and black swirled around her, slithering up her body and around her neck. She clawed at it with her hands, but it would not move. Chitsuko squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden pain that shot through her head...  
  
"I'm back..."  
  
An image of those terrible colorless eyes burned into her mind, and a blood-curdling scream ripped from her throat. Her body began to glow with her pulsing golden spirit energy. Her power burned through the misty shadow, have no effect on it.  
  
The world around her began to dissolve, and she found herself falling through a sea of bright blue lights. She tried to breath but no air would enter her lungs. She looked down and saw that she was beginning to bleed where the shadow was squeezing her tightly. She cried out again and nearly lost her breath, the blue lights growing brighter and brighter...  
  
"GET OFFA HER!"  
  
Something heavy slammed into her and she found herself on the ground, once again pinned under Jin. The shadow separated itself from Chitsuko and slithered out from under the Wind Master. The horrific wind increased as Chitsuko looked up into a pair of shadowy eyes, pupiless and devoid of any color...  
  
"ZOUTAROU!" she screamed, letting loose a torrent of her raw spirit energy. Jin scrambled away from her just in time. There was a loud cry and Chitsuko watched as the remaining youkai thieves sprinted past where she lay, shielded by a storm of her spirit energy. the sillhouetes of Suzuki, Shishi, Chuu, Rinku, Jin and Touya sprinted after them, dodging waves of light that shot from the mirrors the demons held...  
  
"Wait!" Chitsuko ceased her onslaught of spirit energy and rolled onto her stomach. She moved to pull herself to her feet but was pushed to the ground by the mysterious force again. She squeezed her eyes shut and cold, frightened tears ran down her cheeks as the terrifyingly familiar voice hissed into her ear once more...  
  
"I've come back for you..."  
  
The wind rushed away from her, following the forms of her friends as they raced after the demons, unaware of the terrible physical and emotional pain the girl felt as she lay on the ground. She reached out to them as they ran away from her, tears spilling freely down her cheeks.  
  
"Don't go..." she whimpered. "Don't leave me..."  
  
But it was in vain, and she watched them disappear from sight, leaving her alone in the heart of the bamboo forest.  
  
Chitsuko shakily pulled herself up onto her knees and looked down at her body. She was covered in blood and dirt, and her clothes were ripped badly. Her beautiful blue tunic was damaged beyond repair. She untied the sash around her waist and shed it, leaving it in a heap on the ground. She shivered. All she wore now was her white pants and the extremely skimpy undershirt she had put on over her bra.  
  
As she struggled to her feet, she glanced around her. She had been brought deeper into the forest, no doubt farther away from the exit. The bamboo trees were thicker here and seemed to form walls around her. She hugged herself tightly and began to trudge forward. A few more tears escaped her eyes and she shuddered again.  
  
"Suzuki?" she called out. "Shishi? Touya?"  
  
It was no use. They were all gone.  
  
Something snapped to her left, and instinctively the girl broke out at a run in the opposite direction. She heard nothing more, but kept running, afraid that maybe one of the demons had stayed behind to look for her. She knew who their master was now, she knew what they wanted. Panting, she quickened her pace as the terrible truth finally sank in, and she bit her lip hard to keep from screaming.  
  
Zoutarou had returned from the dead.  
  
Without warning she ran head-first into something. Something solid. Something soft. She bounced backwards and fell onto the ground, tearing another hole near the seat of her pants. She breathed a curse into the night air and looked up to see what had gotten in her way.  
  
A strangled cry escaped her throat and her hands flew to her mouth as her tearful gaze came to rest on the still form of a man. 


	9. Chapter 8 Chimera

I'd have to say, this has got to be the funnest chapter I've ever written.   
  
This chapter is dedicated to Kaeru Soyokaze! Wooo! =^^=   
  
NOTE: This chapter is based on an RP I was once in. The plot in the beginning is the same as in the RP, but the rest after a certain *person* *comes back* is entirely my creation. ^^ Enjoy! ;D  
  
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Chapter 8: Chimera  
  
For a long time the girl was too scared to move. She remained sitting on the ground, leaning back on her hands with her knees drawn up to her chest. The air around her was close and warm, drops of sweat mixing with the streams of blood that ran down her arms, legs, and torso. She hadn't lost much blood, but now she began to feel light-headed as she stared up at the figure before her, her heart pounding in her ears.  
  
She couldn't find her voice. The girl opened her mouth to ask him who he was, but only a small squeak escaped her lips. Quickly she closed her mouth and she stared fixedly on the man, waiting for his first move...  
  
But he remained still as stone.  
  
"Why aren't you moving?" Chitsuko shifted so she was on her knees, looking up at the man with wide, frightened eyes. Quite suddenly, the pitch black darkness lifted slightly as a showed of moonlight streamed through an opening in the forest canopy...  
  
And still the man did not move.  
  
He wore the strangest outfit the girl had ever seen in her life. His black shirt had been ripped of its sleeves and was torn down the middle. A long, thin strip of black leather tied it shut over his muscular chest and tight stomach. His legs were covered by what looked like tight black leggings with a white sheet draped around his waist. Strips of leather wound up his arms, and a purple rimmed hat, its top and the back of its rim torn off, was fitted around his head. His hair was a light black, almost gray, long and tied back into a high ponytail with two long clumps hanging down from his temples. He was standing on a tilt, and his head was bowed forward, preventing Chitsuko from seeing his face.  
  
Hesitantly, slowly, she reached out one hand towards him. When he did not react to this, she reached out further and poked him in the leg.  
  
Quickly she recoiled, expecting him to pounce on her. But to her confusion he remained still. Shaking her head in disbelief, she pulled herself laborously to her feet. The girl glanced down at her body and winced when she saw just how scantily clad and bloody she was. To her she looked like a victim of a very messy rape.  
  
Turning back to the still man before her, she leaned down, and tried to peek under the rim of his hat to see his face. But the shadows were still thick around them, and all that Chitsuko could make out was a strong jawline and one pale cheek. Plucking up what courage she had at the moment, she reached out again and poked him in the cheek.  
  
He was cold. Deathly cold.  
  
She dropped her hand and took a step forward, only to feel something smooth rub against the bottom of her foot. Looking down, she realized that somehow she had lost her shoes during the fight. "How did that happen?" she asked herself aloud as she stepped back and bent over to pick up what she had stepped on.  
  
"Remove the bamboo..."  
  
Chitsuko straightened up and whirled around, her eyes dilating in the darkness, searching frantically for the owner to the voice that had reached her ears. But no one was there, and her heart began its panicked pounding once more. The voice had been nothing more than a whisper, and she could hardly make out what it had said. She stood as still as the man behind he for a long moment before looking down at the treasure clutched in her hand.  
  
It was a necklace. The chain was thin and a shiny black, smooth to the touch and flexible. Hanging from it was a pendant shaped like a large raindrop. A shimmering blood red stone was set into an encasement of black stone, similar to the chain in appearance. She ran her fingers over the gem.  
  
It was warm.  
  
She looked at the man in front of her and held out the pendant. "Is this yours?"  
  
But he remained silent and motionless.  
  
Chitsuko put her hands on her hips and frown impatiently. "Why aren't you moving?" she repeated. "If you're going to attack me, I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry up and get it over with..."  
  
But he did not answer or move.  
  
The girl sighed. "What is wrong with you?" She took another step towards them and something sharp cut into the front of her leg.  
  
With a yelp she jumped back, nearly dropping the pendant in her surprise. She bent down and ran her fingers down the front of her leg, where a small, shallow gash had been opened. Blood was already seeping out of it, adding more dark stains to her white pants.  
  
The girl crept forward to see what she had walked into. She stretched out a hand, feeling around in the darkness for the object that had cut her. Her hands slid over something razor sharp and several more cuts were opened up on her fingers.  
  
Taking her hand away and wiping it off on her undershirt, the girl squinted through the darkness as she came closer to the offensive object. With a slight shock she found that she had almost impaled herself on a chute of razor-sharp bamboo that was sticking out of the ground near the man's feet. She moved closer to try and pull it out of the ground but two closely-growing bamboo trees stopped her. Frustrated, she moved to the side only to find another cluster of bamboo trees. Chitsuko ran around the man, trying to find a way to get closer to him, but found none.  
  
He was in a cage of bamboo.  
  
"Is that why you're not moving?" she asked him.  
  
He still did not answer.  
  
"Oh, you suck!" she shouted, her voice muffled by the thick air around them. She kicked one of the bamboo chutes in front of him and it easily yielded at her touch. It fell over, narrowly missing the man's head.  
  
"Maybe... these aren't trees?" Chitsuko ran forward and grabbed another bamboo chute in her hands. She pulled it easily out of the ground, then tossed it away off to the side. She had now made enough room for her to squeeze into the cage and get closer to the man. "I get it... This is a cage. Oh, you poor thing..." She kicked away the bamboo chute that had cut her and moved to stand directly in front of him.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Still no answer.  
  
"Why aren't you talking? Or moving? ...Or breathing..." Chitsuko placed her palm on the man's chest. It should have been moving rhythmically up and down as he breathed. But it was still. Tentatively the girl foreward, pressing her ear to the man's unmoving chest.  
  
There was no heartbeat.  
  
Her eyes wide she pulled away, staring up at his bowed head with fresh tears in her eyes.  
  
"You're dead..."  
  
"Remove the bamboo..."  
  
There it was again. That voice. She looked around her but all she could see was the bamboo. The moon was now high overhead, and the man's cage was bathed in a soft glow. Behind him, all Chitsuko could see was dark shadows.  
  
"Oh..." Chitsuko took a step back and sank down onto her knees. She looked at the necklace in her hands. "This must have been yours..." Slowly, her head bowed, she took the necklace and clasped it around her neck, running her fingers over the stone once more. "I'm lost. I need to find my way out of here. But I won't go...just yet..."  
  
A slight breeze picked up, and quite suddenly the girl felt a chilling cold run through her body. Her heartbeat began calm and her fear ebbed slightly. "Something tells me that's not Zoutarou..." she whispered to herself. If Zoutarou had been there, then she would be full of fear, crying and screaming. She'd be running as fast as she could away from that place, as fast as her bleeding legs could carry her...  
  
She looked up at the man once more. "I almost had the same fate as you..." she mused to his body. "I was born here. My father disappeared and my mother was killed... She left me in a friend's care and he sent my spirit to Ningenkai to be reborn. He thought..." She took a deep breath, trying to stop fresh tears from rolling down her cheeks. "He thought that...I would have a better life there. A safer one..." She looked down at the ground and smiled sadly. "I'm youko. A fox. Kokitsune, my friends call me... Little fox..."  
  
The breeze died, but something soft and cold brushed her cheek.  
  
"Remove the bamboo... I'll take care of the rest..."  
  
The girl's head snapped up and she looked up at the man before her. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.  
  
"Is that you?"  
  
The chill caressed her cheek and slid down her shoulder.  
  
"It IS you..." She scrambled to her feet and took a step back.  
  
"Please..."  
  
Chitsuko stopped. Her entirey body was trembling and another chill ran through her body as the ghost pressed at her back, inching her closer to the man.  
  
"Remove the bamboo..."  
  
"What? I don't understand..." Chitsuko walked forward to the body again. "What do you mean, 'remove the bamboo'?" She moved to the side and something smooth pressed against her hip. She turned, her hand resting on a chute of bamboo sticking out of the ground at a weird angle. The chute was hollow, and a hole near the end of it was crusted over with some kind of red liquid...  
  
"Your blood?" She looked at the man, almost expecting him to nodd. She turned back to the chute, her hand running along its shaft, following it downwards to its origin in the ground...  
  
Her hand hit the man's leg. Comfused, she leaned down to get a better look, and gasped when she saw the chute sticking through his flesh. She bent over to look behind him and found that the chute had skewered him through the leg, pinning him to the ground where the end was still buried.  
  
She looked up at him, and for the first time noticed that there were chutes stuck through his other limbs. Both of his arms had been impaled and so had both his legs. Chitsuko stood up again so suddenly that her head swam. She stumbled and grabbed onto one of the bamboo chutes that made up the cage, knocking it and the one beside it over. She clutched at her head for a moment as dizziness overcame her. Bloodloss was finally getting to her again; she didn't know if she'd have enough power left to survive the trip home. She looked up at the man once more, tears of frustration and pain pouring down her face.  
  
"What do you want me to DO?" she cried.  
  
"Please... Remove the bamboo... I will do the rest..."  
  
Without hesitation, Chitsuko kicked down the remaining bamboo chutes that created the cage around the man's body. She yanked out the chutes pinning his legs to the ground and free his left arm, which was skewered just above his elbow. As she whipped out the chutes, her tears increased, and she began to talk frantically as she freed his body.  
  
"I don't know who did this to you... This doesn't look fair... If you're anything like me, then you probably didn't deserve it..."  
  
At last only the chute that pentrated his right leg remained. She wrapped her hands around it and squeezed her eyes shut against a fresh wave of tears.  
  
"I hope I won't regret this..."  
  
And with one strong tug the last bamboo chute was removed, sending the girl sprawling onto her back. The man's body fell to his knees...  
  
...And nothing happened.  
  
"What?" she cried. "I did what you asked me to!" She kneeled down in front of the man and held him up by the shoulders. "What more do you want from me?"  
  
"Life energy..."  
  
The cold was at her back again and she was pushed violently forward. She opened her mouth to cry out in protest but her face collided with the man's, her warm lips pressed against his cold ones.  
  
Chitsuko's eyes were wider than ever. She moved to pull back and found that she couldn't; the ghost was holding her firmly against his body. She let out a whimper muffled by the man's lips and then the pressure was gone from her back.  
  
The breeze picked up again and the girl quickly scrambled backwards, panting from fear and the longevity of the one-sided kiss.  
  
She pushed her bangs out of her eyes to watch the scene before her. The breeze seemed to collect around the body and the air became hot and close again. Chitsuko's eyes became wider than ever as she watched his wound disappear, his skin now smooth and unbroken, glowing softly in the pale moonlight. Her mouth dropped open and she ignored her instincts t run as she watched his hands clench and unclench. The breeze finally died completely and the moonlight shifting, now shining down in front of him like a spotlight.  
  
He let out a groan and Chitsuko sprang to her feet, ready to make a run for it if she needed to. There was a soft crack, and two black wings arose from the man's back.  
  
The girl blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes and pressing her hand to her forehead. Was blood loss making her see things?  
  
The man stood up, his wings stretched out behind him, and let out another soft moan. He lifted his head, and Chitsuko finally got a good look at his face.  
  
He was handsome, with a strong jawline and forehead. He held up his hands to his face and stared down at them from under the brim of his torn hat. He took two steps towards Chitsuko, his legs creaking slightly from disuse, and then finally raised his head to stare at the girl with glittering, deep purple eyes.  
  
Chitsuko took a step back and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm dreaming..."  
  
The man came forward, closing the gap between himself and the girl, and reached out to pinch her rather hard on the cheek.  
  
"Ow!" The girl rubbed her cheek and stared up at him, frowning slightly. "What did you do that for?"  
  
"To let you know you're not dreaming." His voice was warm and comforting. He flexed his wings and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he did so. "Thank you for reviving me."  
  
"But all I did was pull the bamboo out..."  
  
He shook his head. Chitsuko noticed that his ears were long and pointed, much like Shura's. "You gave me life energy as well."  
  
"Life energy?"  
  
He nodded. "Life energy must be transferred through the mouth. It is the most effective way of doing so." He lifted his head slightly and his eyes wandered up and down her form. "I can feel you spirit energy. It is very strong. You managed to give me enough energy to revive... No normal demon could do that..." He shifted his weight onto one leg and crossed his arms over his chest. "But you don't look like a demon..."  
  
"This is my ningen body," she said quickly. "I was born here and..."  
  
"I know your story. I heard you." A small smile broke his serious expression and he pointed back to the mess of bamboo several feet away.  
  
"Oh..." Chitsuko looked down and began to fiddle with the pendant around her neck.  
  
The man saw this. "My pendant..."  
  
"Oh! I...I knew this was yours..." She quickly took it off and handed it to him. He nodded his thanks and clasped it around his own neck. Never taking his eyes off his face, she asked quietly, "Who are you anyway?"  
  
He gazed down at her with those glittering purple eyes and said with a smirk, "I am Kuronue, the notorious thief and partner of Youko Kurama."  
  
That was all the girl needed. Whether from blood loss or sheer shock, she closed her eyes and fainted dead away.  
  
The chimera ran forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. Holding her in his arms like a child, he looked down at her ashen body streaked with dirt and blood.  
  
"What did I say...?" 


	10. Chapter 9 Mother's Old Boyfriend

Chapter 9: Mother's Old Boyfriend  
  
"Come on... Wake up!"  
  
Kuronue flicked a few more drops of cold water onto the girl's face. She remained unconcious, her mouth slightly open. With a sigh the chimera dipped his hands into the water once more and sprayed the droplets onto her cheeks. She did not respond.  
  
The chimera had found his way to a small pond near the heart of the bamboo forest, the girl cradled in his arms like a child. There was no sign of flora or fauna within it, and the water was dark and cold. It looked murky, so he didn't think pouring it in her mouth might be a good a idea.  
  
Finally he stood up from his crouching position, the girl still in his arms. He looked her over. The slender, helpless little thing was wearing nothing but a severely ripped pair of pants, a sleeveless undershirt with one strap torn away, and an undergarment that ningens referred to as a bra. He frowned slightly and brushed her bangs off her forehead. Her face was clear of wounds, but the rest of her body was criss-crossed with cuts and scratches caked in dried blood and dirt.  
  
But she was pretty, nontheless.  
  
She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous like some of the youkos he'd seen flirt with his old partner, Youko Kurama. However, she was beautiful in a quiet way, almost like a flower that refused to bloom under it felt it was good and ready. He smiled to himself when he thought of what she'd look like once she grew up...  
  
With a groan of disgust he realized that he had been fantasizing about a child. Quickly he waded out into the pond up to his thighs, and promptly dropped the girl into the water.  
  
A second later, an explosion of bubbles reached the surface of the water and the girl shot to the surface, coughing and spluttering. The chimera reached out and patted her on the back as coughed up the water that had gotten into her lungs.  
  
"IT'S COLD!" she yelled, continuing to hack and spit. "And it tastes like Shishi's cooking... Ungh..." She made a face and reached up to swat her soaked hair out of her eyes.  
  
"Who's Shishi?" Kuronue raised an eyebrow.  
  
It was as if she had suddenly remembered he was there. She turned to look at him and her jaw went slack. Her eyes grew wide, and the chimera noted that they were a soft blue-gray.  
  
"Y-you... You..."  
  
"Don't do that again, please!" he said as he reached out to grab her by the shoulders. He held her firmly upright, and the girl stood staring at him, her arms wrapped around her own slender body, which was trembling.  
  
"You're Kuronue..."  
  
The chimera smiled wryly. "Can't get anything by you."  
  
"Kurama's old partner..." And my mother's old boyfriend, she thought to herself.  
  
"I know... I told you that..." Kuronue nodded, a sarcastic smile on his face.  
  
"Kurama... Never told me... what you looked like..." she said between shivers.  
  
Now it was the chimera's turn for his eyes to widen. "You know Kurama?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"He's...good. He's in Ningenkai now..."  
  
"WHAT?! WHY?!"  
  
The girl opened her mouth to explain when she suddenly sneezed.  
  
Kuronue's expression softened. "You're going to catch cold if you stay in her any longer..." He picked her up and carried her back to solid ground. Setting her down on the bank of the pond, he settled himself beside her, toying with the pendant around his neck.  
  
"Thanks..." the girl hugged herself against the cold night; now that she had been dunked in freezing water, and the bamboo trees grew farther apart here, the chill of the darkness had its full effect on her.  
  
Kuronue glanced sideways at her. "So how do you know Kurama."  
  
The girl's gaze rested on the smooth surface of the pond and she shivered violently before answering. "He saved my life."  
  
"How?"  
  
"My parents were killed, and I was still a helpless infant. He sent my spirit to Ningenkai to be reborn. But he sent me five hundred years into the future..." She looked over at him and smiled slightly. "I'm older than I look..." She sneezed again.  
  
The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, Kuronue listening to the sound of the girl's teeth chattering. She hugged herself tighter and pulled her knees up to her chest, rubbing her arms against the cold.  
  
Finally the chimera gave in. "Oh, come here..." He scooted over until their thighs were touching, then put his arms around her, hugging her rather roughly against his chest. "Is that better?"  
  
The girl blinked. Her cheek was pressed against his muscled chest and she was laying on a weird angle. "Uhh..."  
  
Kuronue sighed. "Hold on..." He removed his arms and crawled onto the other side of the girl. "Maybe if I did this... No, your head would be in my crotch. Or how about if you lay like this and then I... wait no... What if I..."  
  
"I'M FINE!" the girl shouted just as Kuronue moved to pull her onto his lap. She stood up and stormed over to a thick bamboo tree, plopping down a few feet from it and hugging her knees to her chest. "I'm fine..." She fought to keep her body still, but another violet tremor ran through her body and she sneezed three times in succession.  
  
"Great, now you're sick..." Kuronue stood up and walked over to her, standing above her with his hands on his hips.  
  
"Well I didn't ASK to be dumped in the pond!" she snarled, burying her face in her knees.  
  
Kuronue's eyebrows knit together. "Well at least your wounds are clean now... A bit..."  
  
It was the true, the water had managed to wash away most of the blood crusted onto the girl's skin, but her wounds remained opened and untreated.  
  
The chimera quietly kneeled behind her and reached out to hug her again. He slid his arms under hers and took hold of something round and soft...  
  
"YOU BASTARD!"  
  
With a loud slap that echoed through the forest, the girl's hand made contact with his cheek...hard.  
  
"HEY!" the chimera shouted, rubbing his abused face. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"  
  
"YOU...YOU GRABBED MY TA-TAS!" she fumed. She was facing him now on her knees, and she reached out to grab his shirt and pull him towards her.  
  
"I SAID IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" he yelled back, a sweatdrop rolling down his temple. "I...I didn't mean to!"  
  
"You... But you... AAGH!" The girl bowed her head and let go of Kuronue, sitting back on her feet. "I...I'm just..."  
  
"You're just what, PMSing?" Kuronue shot back at her, a sneer curling his lips.  
  
The girl sniffled and a solitary tear ran down her cheek.  
  
Kuronue's face faulted. "Oh...No, don't cry. Please don't cry..."  
  
"I...I..." Chitsuko couldn't take it anymore. Not only had Zoutarou returned and was after her once more, but she had unknowingly resurrected her mother's old boyfriend and her boyfriend's dead partner...  
  
"Please... Don't..."  
  
Ignoring the chimera's pleas, the girl burst into tears. It was all too much to handle.  
  
"Noooo..." Kuronue moaned, reaching out to take the girl in his arms. He sank back against the tree, pulling her up to rest her head on his chest. Her face was buried in her hands as she sobbed, her tears leaking through her fingers and spilling onto his shirt. "Pleeeease don't cry..."  
  
The girl bit back her next cry and tilted her head up to look at him. Kuronue held his breath. That sparkle in her eyes... She looked just like...  
  
"You remind me of someone," he said softly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.  
  
"W-Who?" she asked through a sniffle.  
  
Kuronue's eyes glazed over and he looked at the ground. "A woman I once knew... A fox youko... like yourself..."  
  
"What was her name?"  
  
"Her name was... Misao..."  
  
"Oh..." She said no more. She knew that he was talking about her demon mother...  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"N-No reason..."  
  
There were silent for a moment before the chimera spoke said, "I still don't know your name."  
  
The girl took a deep breath. "I was given the name Chitsuko Ichihara in Ningenkai. But my demon name is Hanyou Kohana."  
  
"A half-breed?" The chimera's eyebrow shot up again.  
  
"Watch it..." she muttered threateningly.  
  
Kuronue smiled slightly and chuckled, leaning back against the tree. "Kohana... That mean 'little flower'... Yes, that is what I will call you. Kohana..." His voice trailed off and he yawned.  
  
His arms tightened around her and she let out a soft cry. Chitsuko looked up at his face, only to discover that the chimera had fallen asleep. She giggled slightly and settled down against his chest somewhat awkwardly.  
  
Decided that she had better get some sleep as well, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to came her. Her last thought before she slipped into slumber was how warm she felt in Kuronue's arms...  
  
* * * * *  
  
"YOU ALL SUCK!"  
  
Rinku slammed the door to his bedroom and retreated into the far corner. He sat down facing the wall and struggled to keep the tears at bay.  
  
He heard his door slide open again and Shishi's soft voice address him. "Rinku, please. We searched everywhere we could! We don't know where she..."  
  
"THEY MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HER! SHE COULD BEEN IN TROUBLE!" the boy yelled, whirled around to glare at Shishi. "WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK SO MORE..."  
  
"Rinku, PLEASE!" Shishi sighed. "I bet she's fine..."  
  
"RINKU! SHISHI! SUZUKI! YOU WON' BELIEBE THIS!" Chuu voice came from the front porch, urgent and loud.  
  
At once, Suzuki, Shishi, and Rinku were out on the porch beside him, Jin, and Touya, looking around frantically for the cause of his hysterics.  
  
"Chuu...?" Suzuki asked, looking up at his friend.  
  
"LOOK!"  
  
Rinku had found it. High above the forest, coming from the direction of the mountains, something was flying hard and fast towards the house. They could just make out a pair of black wings and a streak of golden-brown...  
  
"IT'S GOT CHITSUKO!" Rinku cried again, jumping up and down. "LOOK! IT'S HER!"  
  
Shishi squinted as the figure came closer. "That's her alright..." The smile small that had been forming on his face suddenly fell. "What the hell...?"  
  
The four of them went silent as it flew closer. Rinku let out a yelp when he saw who, or what, was carrying his friend: a man with pointed ears and large bat wings.  
  
"Whaaaaa?" Rinku blinked rapidly as he landed in front of the house, Chitsuko cradled in his arms.   
  
"YOU NEARLY DROPPED ME, YOU BAKA!" the girl cried, kicking her legs wildly in the air.  
  
"Well maybe if you hadn't been squirming so much I wouldn't have ALMOST dropped you!" the man with the wings shouted back, setting the girl on her feet.  
  
Chitsuko let out an exasperated sigh then turned to face the house and its occupants.  
  
"CHITSUKO!" Jin, Rinku, and Chuu ran out to meet her. All three tried to hug her at once, resulting in Rinku being squished between Chuu's heavily muscular chest and Chitsuko's very soft one.  
  
Kuronue's eye twitched. "I did something like that and she smacked me."  
  
Chitsuko turned to glare at him just as Suzuki, Touya, and Shishi joined them.  
  
"Thank you for bringing her back," Suzuki said to Kuronue as he put his arm around the girl's shoulders. "We looked all night and most of the next day. We must've searched that forest twice over..." He studied the man for a moment before asking, "Who are you, by the way?"  
  
Kuronue crossed his arms over his chest. "My name is Kuronue, imfamous thief and partner of Youko Kurama."  
  
The boys stared at him, wide-eyed.  
  
"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Jin breathed.  
  
Chitsuko shook her head. "Nope. I revived him." She grinned innocently.  
  
"I owe you one, Kohana..." Kuronue said, turning to the girl. "I promise... I will stay with you and help you in any way I can to repay your deed. Thank you..."  
  
Chitsuko's eye twitched and she blushed a bright pink. "Uhh... Okay..."  
  
"Just what we need..." Shishi said, his fuschia eyes rolling in his head. "Another house guest..." 


	11. Chapter 10 Zoutarou's Shadow

This one's a DOOZY....  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 10: Zoutarou's Shadow  
  
Kuronue refused to accept a futon in the upper room of the house. Instead, much to Chitsuko's disturbance, he chose to sleep in the fox's room and watch her while she slept as a precaution. The girl was adamant about it.  
  
"DO YOU HAVE TO STARE AT ME LIKE THAT?"  
  
"I THOUGHT I SAW A DARK SHADOW BEHIND YOU!"  
  
This was the converastion that leaked through the walls nightly, always ending in a whimper from the fox and a loud slap. Kuronue would almost always emerge the next morning with a faded red handprint on his cheek.  
  
"You know, it's not funny, teasing me like that..." Chitsuko remarked one night as she stood in front of her mirror, brushing her hair. "I shouldn't have you told you about Zoutarou..."  
  
"Oh, come off it," Kuronue retorted, settling into his usual corner and crossing his arms over his chest. "You're pathetic."  
  
"You don't know what he did to me!" The brush was hurling in the chimera's direction and it hit the wall beside his head. The girl whirled to face him, her eyes wide and bright, her cheeks scarlet with anger. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her side. "You don't know the pain he caused me, the terror, the torture!"  
  
"What did he do, rape you or something?"  
  
Wrong thing to say.  
  
"I HATE YOU, KURONUE!"  
  
Accompanied by a string of angry cries, the futon set up in the middle of the room was smashed into the corner, as was the low desk covered with Chitsuko's things. The sound of wood being hacked to pieces and the rip of tearing fabric jarred everyone in the house awake. In moments, the furniture lay in pieces on the floor, the chimera having knocked them away with his scythe, thanks to his swift reflexes. Paper, pencils, and other assorted objects littered the floor amid the disheveled bedsheets.  
  
Kuronue, sitting in the middle of this mess, looked up at his young charge, his eyes wide with surprise. "Kohana..."  
  
Her teeth were clenched, as were her hands still, and her eyes had narrowed ever so slightly. Those stormy hues had dimmed, and now they glistened with fresh, unshed tears. She stood before him in a long, oversized blue t-shirt that had been given to her by Chuu, the many bandages on her arms and legs fully exposed. Her long golden-brown tresses hung in her eyes, but she didn't seem to care at the moment.  
  
She had never looked so vulnerable and afraid.  
  
Kuronue's eyes softened and he put down his scythe. "Kohana..." he repeated softly.  
  
She didn't answer him. The girl took a few steps forward, then kneeled down in a small circle of broken glass and cheap metal to pick something up and stare it forlornly.  
  
Kuronue shifted sideways so he could see the sheet of paper Chitsuko held in her hand. It turned out to be a photograph of herself and a redheaded boy about her age. The boy's arms were around her waist, and they were bothing smiling...  
  
"Is that..." Kuronue asked quietly, afraid of setting the girl off again, "...Kurama?"  
  
The girl merely glanced at him, then stood up, holding the picture to her chest. Taking hold of one of the blankets that hadn't been destroyed by Kuronue's scythe, she dragged it solemnly to the opposite corner of the room. She laid down on the cold wooden floor and pulled the blanket over her, the photo still clutched to her heart.  
  
The chimera didn't know what to say. He stared at the girl for a long moment, or rather, the shadow of where she was. It was too dark for him to see; the moon and stars were hidden by thick clouds, and the candles in Chitsuko's room were now estinguished and strewn all over the floor. He could just make out of the curve of her form on the floor, and the small sniffle of her crying...  
  
"Kohana?" On all fours, he crawled forward a few feet, then stopped, listening for any response from her. The girl was still; she seemed to be holding her breath. "Kohana?" he tried again, this time crossing the length of the room to kneel beside her. "Please, Kohana... I'm sorry..."  
  
Chitsuko didn't move.  
  
The chimera put his hand on her shoulder. "Kohana..."  
  
"You're a jackass." The girl sat up and sprang to her feet, the blanket sliding off her to the floor. She was out of her room and down the hallway before Kuronue could react, and then he heard the front door slam as she escaped out into the night.  
  
"Damnit..." he murmured before running out of the house after her.  
  
He caught up with her just before she entered the woods. Wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, he pulled her against him as he beat his wings and soared up into the dark sigh.  
  
Chitsuko emmited small gruns and moans as she struggling in the chimera's grip. She wriggled and squirmed, trying desperately to get away from him.  
  
"You can't get away from me up here. You'll fall to you death." Kuronue renewed his grip on her as she managed to wriggle upwards until his face was level with her shoulders. She pressed down on his shoulders and emmited a soft groan as his arms tightened around her waist, one hand sliding up her back to brace her.  
  
"Put...me...DOWN!" she cried, staring down into his deep purple eyes.  
  
It was as if time had stopped for a brief moment. The chimera's eyes locked with hers, and for a split second the girl thought of the moment back in the forest, when she had given him her life energy through a kiss... Kuronue hovered in the air for a moment, and he realized just how close he was holding her, and how perfectly the girl fit in his arms...  
  
"Okay." The chimera shook the romantic notions from his head and let go of her.  
  
The girl screamed as she plummeted downwards, trying to prevent her shirt from flying up at the same time. She turned in mid-air, watching the ground come closer and closer...  
  
And suddenly Kuronue's arms were back under her again, cradling her like a child against his chest.  
  
She glared at him as he flew upwards into the darkness once more, shivering as the wind rushed over her bare skin. "You... You...!"  
  
"Yes?" The chimera grinned innocently at her.  
  
"Hmph." The girl turned away from him, hugging herself for warmth. "You piss me off to no ends, chimera..."  
  
"Well babysitting you is no pinic either!"  
  
"I didn't ASK you to stay with me..."  
  
"Well I'm not OBLIGED to..." Kuronue swooped down over the forest, turning around in a circle and heading back towards the house.  
  
"Then go."  
  
The chimera stopped. The words darted from the girl's lips like ice, cold and angry. Subconciously, he gripped her closer to him, his expression softening as he gazed down at her. Slowly he began to descend, sinking beneath the forest roof.  
  
"What are you doing?" the girl asked, looking around impatiently. "We're nowhere near Suzuki's. I want to go..."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Chitsuko gasped as Kuronue cut her off, breathing the air in so quickly she nearly choked. The chimera finally touched ground, skidding to a smooth stop in a dark section of the forest where the trees grew thickest. He set her on the ground then gripped her shoulders, turning her around to face him.  
  
"I can't go," he breathed.  
  
"Why? No one's stopping you..."  
  
"You are."  
  
"Me? What the hell did I..."  
  
"Don't talk." Kuronue quickly pressed a finger to the girl's lips. She stared back up at him, her stormy hues twinkling in the dark. "I can't leave because of you. You're holding me back. You're keeping me here..." The chimera removed his hands from her mouth and shoulder and anxiously tugged at his ponytail, his gaze traveling everywhere but over the girl before him. "You don't understand... You saved me. You revived me. Your energy flows within me..."  
  
Chitsuko remembered the kiss again, and she reached up to touch her own lips. She stared at the ground as Kuronue continued to speak.  
  
"I feel...connected to you, in some way... I feel as though I've met you before... In another time..." He reached out and slid his hand under her chin, gently tilting her face upwards to meet his. "...Another place..." Kuronue took a step closer to her. "Your body says you're a child... But your presence says otherwise..."  
  
Chitsuko swallowed hard, unable to tears her eyes away from Kuronue's.  
  
"I have to repay you for that. Repay you for bringing me back... It's a promise I won't break... A promise I don't want to break..."   
  
"I don't feel so good..." With much effort, Chitsuko turned her face away and squeezed her eyes shut. "Take me back... Please..."  
  
"Oh... Alright..." Kuronue, slightly confused, picked the girl up in his arms once more and took to the air.  
  
It was a long way back to Suzuki's. Chitsuko remained silent, her eyes focused ahead of her the entire time.  
  
"Did... Did I do something wrong?" the chimera asked quietly.  
  
"No..." The girl turned to look at him.  
  
Kuronue breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that's a first..."  
  
Much to his pleasure, the girl broke into a smile and giggled.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Three months passed in this manner, and summer soon became late fall. Winter was on its way, and the days became cold while the nights became colder. Kuronue and Chitsuko still went at it every day, and the other boys began to grow used to it. Jin and Touya remained at Suzuki's, having gotten leave from their Shinobi Tribe to do so. The girl's room was repaired, and both chimera and fox were warned not to repeat the incident or they would both be sleeping outside.  
  
And still the demon thieves ran loose in Makai.  
  
"King Enma must be so pissed at me right now," the girl said over dinner one evening as she forlornly poked at her noodles. "I haven't gotten the Dusk Birth back and I still haven't managed to cut those demons down..."  
  
"Yeah...and that Zoutarou fella hasn't come back either!" Jin said through a mouthful of noodles.  
  
Chitsuko dropped her chopsticks, several noodles still hanging out of her mouth. She stared blankly down at her bowl, unmoving.  
  
Suzuki, Shishi, Rinku, Chuu, Touya, and Kuronue all glared at Jin, who stared back at them sheepishly.  
  
"Did I say somethin' wrong?"  
  
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Kuronue, sitting next to Chitsuko, put a hand on the girl's shoulder.  
  
"Kohana...?"  
  
"Excuse me..." Chitsuko stood up, leaving her chopsticks and half-eaten bowl of noodles on the table, and darted out of the kitchen. A second later, her door slid shut, and the unbearable silence filled the kitchen once more.  
  
"Oh, now you've done it..." Kuronue glared at Jin over the rim of his bowl as he slurped down the rest of his noodles.  
  
"I don' get it," Chuu said, setting his chopsticks across the rim of his bowl. "Everytime someone mentions that Zoutarou guy, she gets all quiet and shuts 'erself off from the rest of us... What EXACTLY did he do to her?"  
  
"I don't know..." Touya said, his chopsticks paused halfway to his mouth. "She never told us anything about him while we were Ningenkai... We never heard the name before until now. Occasionally Yusuke or Kuwabara would mention their last mission with Chitsuko, but her and Kurama never talked about it. Whatever happened must have scarred both of them..."  
  
"But not as much as her," Shishi said, glancing towards the kitchen door as though he expected the girl to come back. "Have you noticed, she cries more often at night?"  
  
"No, duh." Kuronue set his bowl down in front of him, wiping the last trace of noodle from his mouth with the back of his hand. "I sleep in the same room with her, of course I notice. She doesn't say anything, but she cries and whimpers like a child..."  
  
"Poor girl," Rinku said softly. "There's no way for us to help her?"  
  
Suzuki shook his head. "I don't think so, Rinku. I think that's something that always burden her heart, no matter how many times this Zoutarou creep comes back..."  
  
"What she needs now is for us to stand by her," Touya said, nodded in agreement with Suzuki. "She's our friend. Whatever this Zoutarou guy wants her for, we won't let him have his way."  
  
"Right!" Jin smiled.  
  
"You know, Kuronue..." Shishi said, addressing the chimera across the table. "How is the whole room situation working out?"  
  
Kuronue shrugged. "Besides the crying and the slapping and the 'I hate you's...it's okay."  
  
"Oh yeah, you two are really hitting it off." The samurai grinned wickedly.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" The chimera's eyebrow shot up.  
  
"Oh, nothing..."  
  
"Shishi, you know she's Kurama's girl..." Rinku glared at Shishi.  
  
Suddenly, with a grunt of exasperation, Kuronue stood up.  
  
"Where are YOU going?" Shishi asked accusingly.  
  
"I'm going to check up on her. You know, see if she's alright..." Without another word the chimera turned and exited the kitchen, his footsteps disappearing down the hallway.  
  
"Those two remind me of Urameshi and his girlfriend..." Chuu said.  
  
"Really? How is that?" Suzuki got up and began to clear away the table.  
  
"Look at 'em: they're always at each other. Hittin' and screamin', and then gettin' all sentimental and romansy the next minute."  
  
"But she's Kurama's!" Rinku squeaked.  
  
"I dunno." Chuu shook his head. "Kurama ain't here, and you know what they say: outta sight, outta mind..."  
  
Rinku opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and looked down at the floor.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Hey..."  
  
Chitsuko turned around as her door slid open and Kuronue stepped into the room. Seeing that the girl's eyes were tear-free, his smiled softly. Closing the door gently behind him, he crossed to the room to stand beside her at the window.  
  
"Are you going to be alright?"  
  
The girl shrugged and looked back out the window.  
  
"You know you can't run from your fears forever..."  
  
"I know..." Chitsuko closed her eyes. "I've learned that the hard way... Life always has a way of torturing you, and fate always has a way of catching up with you..."  
  
Kuronue looked down at her sadly. "Kohana..."  
  
"I'm not saying I don't deserve this." She opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards to look up at the bright, pale moon hanging above the forest. "I don't know what I did, but I'm tired of my friends getting involved... Getting hurt..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Getting killed..."  
  
Kuronue watched her as she stepped away from the window and over to the tiny altar she had set up against the wall beside her desk. She kneeled down and clasped her hands in front of her chest, bowing her head and closing her eyes in prayer.  
  
The chimera moved to stand behind her, watching her quietly. After several minutes of watching her, he finally got up the nerve to break the silence.  
  
"You've been doing that once a week for as long as I've been here. From what Suzuki tells me you've been doing it since you came here... What ARE you doing, exactly?"  
  
The girl lifted her head slightly and opened her eyes, her gaze settling on the altar. "Praying."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"For a friend."  
  
"What was their name?"  
  
The girl's body trembled once, and she let out a small gasp. She bowed her head forward once more and answered in the smallest of voices.  
  
"Karasu."  
  
"What happened to him?" The chimera squatted beside her, his eyes on her hunched form.  
  
"He ceased to exist."  
  
Kuronue blinked, confused. "How did THAT happen?"  
  
"Our opponent had a special attack that he would use to dissolve souls...and he got Karasu..."  
  
"I'm sorry... Were you too very close?"  
  
The girl let out a single sob, and two tears trickled down her cheeks. Chitsuko remembered how she had misjudged Karasu...how she hadn't believed him...  
  
How he had sacrificed himself to save her and Kurama...  
  
The chimera sat patiently waiting for an answer, but it never came. Murmuring her demon name once more, he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Suddenly and without pretense, all the lights in the house flickered, then exploded.  
  
Chitsuko let out a cry as shards of glass sprayed everywhere, and Kuronue threw himself over the girl to prevent them from reaching her. Clutching her tightly against him, he looked up to see what had caused the lamps to explode.  
  
Every door and window in the house flew open at once and a cold, biting wind rushed inside, picking up shards of glass and furniture as it sped from room to room. There was a loud cry from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of dishes breaking and wood splintering.  
  
"CHITSUKO! KURONUE!" The voice was unmistakably that of Suzuki's.  
  
"WE'RE ALRIGHT!" the chimera shouted as the girl attempted to struggle to her feet. "Oh no you don't, you'll get blow away..." Kuronue reached out and took a firm hold on the girl's waist as she managed to stand up, her back bent slightly against the force of the wind.  
  
"I'll be fine!" Pressing herself against the wall, Chitsuko headed for the door, closely followed by Kuronue. She laborously pulled herself around the corner and into the hallway as the wind began to intensify around her...  
  
"CHITSUKO! KURONUE! LOOK OUT!"  
  
Kuronue quickly pushed the girl to the ground. There was a loud groan and a bang, followed by the sound of splintering wood and a thud. The girl swiveled around on her stomach to look at Kuronue, who was now slumped against the wall, numerous bleeding cuts decorating his arms and face, his clothes torn and covered with splinters of wood. Looking past him, Chitsuko saw several large chunks of broken wood pushed into the corner of her her room by the wind, droplets of blood splattering their surfaces.  
  
"Kuronue-kun!" she cried, crawling over to him and hoisting herself up beside him. "Are you alright?"  
  
"'Kuronue-kun'?" Amidst all the turmoil, a small smile broke the chimera's face.  
  
"Kuronue! Chitsuko! Are you two alright?" Jin appeared, floating in mid-air surrounding by a small whirlwind of his own that protected him from the other winds.  
  
The fox nodded, but the chimera grimaced and said, "I was attacked by a flying table."  
  
"Sorry 'bout that, I couldn't stop it in time. Suzuki and the others are still in the kitchen. They're find it a wee bit hard to move..." He extended his hand to Chitsuko, and the girl took it. The Wind Master pulled her into the whirlwind with her and she clambered onto his back. Kuronue began to beat his own wings and followed the two of them down the hallways towards the kitchen, the winds still pressing at their chests.  
  
"Is everyone alright in here?" Chitsuko shouted as they entered the kitchen.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU THINK?"  
  
Shishi and Suzuki were pressed against the wall, pinned there by the kitchen table. Chuu was sprawling on the ground next to Touya, and Rinku was nowhere to be seen. All four of them sported bloody wounds as well.  
  
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"  
  
Rinku, who was small and very light, whizzed through the air past Jin and Chitsuko, reaching out desperately for something to hold on to.  
  
"RINKU!" The girl reached out to grab him, in the process leting go of Jin. She toppled backwards out of Jin's winds and into the fierce ones that raged through the house.  
  
"CHITSUKO!" Jin reached out for her, but he was too late.  
  
The girl's arms closed around Rinku and the two of them together were blown down the hallway at a tremendous speed. The doors in the house began to open and close of their own accord as the wind's howling increased. Chitsuko turned her body around and discovered that they were shooting down the hallway towards her room, and to her utter dismay the door was now closed...  
  
Quickly, turning around so she was facing backwards, she curled herself around the boy, creating a protective cocoon around him with her body, and braced herself for the impact...  
  
There was a bang and a sharp cracking sound. Chitsuko and Rinku were driven through the door, breaking it to pieces. And Jin and Kuronue could only watch in horror as the two young demons flew through the girl's room and smashed through the window in the opposite wall in a shower of broken glass and wood.  
  
"KOHANA!" Kuronue cried as he sprinted down the hallway. But suddenly the wind changed direction, blowing the chimera back, frantically he beat his wings against the wind, but to no avail. Gritting his teeth, he turned to Jin and shouted, "Open the front door at the end of the hallway!"  
  
"Are you NUTS?"  
  
"I SAID OPEN THE GOD DAMN DOOR!"  
  
The Wind Master obeyed, not daring to question the chimera any further. He held the door open do it wouldn't slam shut again, then called out to Kuronue that he was ready.  
  
"Alright... Here I go!" Kuronue stopped fighting the wind, allowing it to push him backwards and down the hallway, he was thrown through the doorway and into the open night. He began to flap his wings again and sprang upwards, escaping the draft of air. With a surprise he realized that wind only blew through the house, and that the air was relatively calm above it. "That's queer..." he murmured as he ran across the rooftop and leapt to the ground on the other side.  
  
The wind was strangely stronger on this side of the house. Darker, too. Almost as if it were mast of a deep mist. It also carried numerous pieces of debris, which whirled and spun through the air, threatening the chimera to try and force his was through it.  
  
Laying on the ground in the middle of the grass was Chitsuko and Rinku, the young boy pinned underneath the girl's unmoving and bleeding body. There were cuts all over her, and her clothes had been torn beyond repair, leaving her undergarments partially exposed and soaked with blood. She was face-down on the grass, her arms still tightly clutching Rinku to her chest. The child was alert and wide-eyed, looking frantically at the devastation around him. He spotted Kuronue in a heartbeat. "KURONUE! DOWN HERE!"  
  
"I'm coming!" The chimera flew back into the air, hoping to find an opening in the center of the whirlwind, but a strong gust blew him off course and he tumbled into the side of the house with a bang. Undaunted, he sprang upwards and tried again, this time nearly getting caught in the winds.  
  
The others were suddenly in the yard, all except the Wind Master cut and bleeding. They stared fearfully at Chitsuko and Rinku, then looked up at Kuronue's desperate form trying to break through the cold barrier of wind.  
  
"Jin! Can't you do something?" Shishi shouted.  
  
"I can try!" Jin surrounded himself with his own winds again and darted forward. He easily plowed through the wind, injuring Kuronue's pride in the process. He settled himself back on the ground beside the girl and boy in the center and picked them up in his arms.  
  
"Kuronue!" he cried, turning to look at the demon hovering high above the whirlwind. "Try and get through! I can't carry them both out of here!"  
  
"No, no, I'm fine..." Slowly, weakly, Chitsuko stirred and pulled herself up onto her knees, freeing Rinku. "Take him." She looked up at Jin, her eyes pleading. "Take him, I'll be fine..."  
  
"Chitsuko-chan..."  
  
"Just go!"  
  
Jin nodded fearfully, then snatched up Rinku sped out of the winds. He handed the boy to Shishi, who immediately began inspecting him for wounds.  
  
"He's unhurt!" he said unbelievingly. "Not even one scratch!"  
  
"Chitsuko protected me," Rinku replied. "She hugged me to her body and put her back to the door and the window..."  
  
The rest of the boys' eyes widened and they stared at the boy dumbfounded.  
  
"She did all tha'...?" Chuu breathed.  
  
"She's really something..." Touya looked back at the tunnel of wind.  
  
Chitsuko was still trapped in the center, the winds blowing her short pleated skirt in every direction. She had decided that wearing her old Meiou High uniform would be perfect to wear that day; it wasn't too warm or too cold, and the long-sleeved sailor-collar shirt was sure to keep her warm while the short skirt allowed her to stay cool. Now she groaned and wished she hadn't given her new friends the opportunity to see her panties.  
  
Meanwhile, Kuronue was still trying to find a way to get to her. "KOHANA!" he called down to her.  
  
"I'M FINE!" she shouted back. Mustering up all the courage she possessed, she braced herself and took a shaky step forward into the winds...  
  
She was immediately yanked off her feet and swept into the tunnel, which began to tower higher and higher above their heads.  
  
"KURONUE, DO SOMETHING!" Rinku screeched, squirming in Shishi's arms.  
  
"I'M TRYING!" The chimera flew as close to the wind tunnel as he could, beating his wings fiercely against the pulling current.  
  
The girl flew around and around in the wind tunnel, her body flopping around like a windmill. Desperately she tried to force her way out of the other side of the tunnel, but everytime she tried she was pulled further and further into its depths. "KURONUE!" she cried, staring at him helplessly with her wide, bright eyes.  
  
The chimera's heart nearly broke.  
  
"I'M COMING!" Without thinking, thoughts of the girl's recuse only on his mind, the chimera plundged into the winds and was immediately swept into the current after her.  
  
"DAMN!" Jin cursed, stamping his foot against the ground. Suddenly he started and looked over at the others. "Link hands, quickly now!" he said as he grabbed Touya's hand.  
  
"Jin, what...?" he questioned.   
  
"Form a chain, maybe we can get to them and pull them back down!"  
  
"But how will we stay on the ground?" Shishi said.  
  
"Leave that to me!" The whirlwinds around Jin intensified. "One of you needs to get close enough to grab them..."  
  
"I will!" Rinku said, jumping out of Shishi's arms. "I'll do it!"  
  
"Alright..." The boys quickly did as Jin said and cautiously approached the wind tunnel. The winds had barely brushed against Rinku's face when the boy was hoisted into the air. Immediately Jin began to plow the other way, still surrounding by his own whirlwinds and negating the effect of the large wind tunnel. Shishi and Suzuki, along with the small boy, were lifted off their feet, their living chain slanting upwards off the ground.  
  
"CHITSUKO! KURONUE!" Rinku stretched out his hand towards the two whirling around in circles. "COME ON!"  
  
"I'M TRYING!" Chitsuko cried, stretched out her hand towards the chimera. "KURONUE!"  
  
But it was no use. The two were opposite each other in the tunnel. The girl reached out and grabbed onto a large piece of what used to be the side of the house. Quickly, she kicked off of it and propelled herself a quarter of a way around the whirlwind, bringing herself closer to Kuronue.  
  
"Just...a little more..." The chimera stretched his arm out as far as it would go, reaching for the girl...  
  
"CHITSUKO!" Rinku screeched suddenly.  
  
"KOHANA!" came the chimera's cry.  
  
Her eyes wide and confused, the girl turned around...  
  
There was a shower of blood and sickening thud as a broken and splitered piece of wood collided with the side of the girl's head.   
  
"NOOOOO!" Kuronue flapped his wings until they ached, reaching for the girl's stunned body. He ground his teeth together and held out his arms just as the wind tunnels speed began to slow down. Holding himself still in mid-air for as long as he could, he waited until the girl's body was thrown into his arms by the wind, then let himself be carried along with it.  
  
"Kohana! Please, answer me!" He shook her violently, clucthing her hard against him.  
  
"Not so rough..." came the soft moan. The girl turned her head up to look him in the face. Blood was pouring out of a wound just above her forehead, creating a river of it over her right eye and down her cheek. "I'm alive, sheesh..."  
  
In response, the chimera hugged her tighter than ever and planted a long kiss on the top of her head, just as the wind began to pick up speed...'  
  
Without warning, a loud boom echoed throughout the forest, and a flood of light shattered the side of the wind tunnel.  
  
Debris, chimera, and fox fell to the ground, and the chain of youkai fell back down, knocked onto the grass by the explosion. They lay there, the wind now howling freely around them.  
  
But the fox was alert. "What?" Chitsuko squirmed out of Kuronue's arms and pulled herself to her knees. "What was that?" She looked frantically around her, at the debris, at her friends, at the two dark shadows looming before them...  
  
"You seem to have a nasty habit of butting into other people's fights, from what I've heard..." It was Zoutarou's voice, loud and clear, as though he were standing right next to her.  
  
The other figure did not answer, but another blast of green light erupted in the center of the wind.  
  
"I'm not here to fight you!" The whispied, more deformed of the two shadows swooped around the other, then made a beeline for the girl kneeling on the ground. "I'm here for her..." Chitsuko was hoisted into the air again, and she cried out as a violent chill swept through her body. "Remember this?" Zoutarou's voice hissed into her ear as the shadow wrapped itself around her. A long slash opened up just below her collarbone, drowning the front of her shirt in blood.  
  
Another explosion rocked the ground, and Zoutarou's shadow loosened its grip on Chitsuko. A ball of golden energy began to form around the girl's index finger, and she pointed it at the shadow that surrounded her.  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!"The shadow screeched and let go out her as the girl was rocked into the air by the force of her blast. But just as quickly she began to fall again, a large, messy tear running down the front of her shirt.  
  
"SHE JUST SPIRIT GUNNED HERSELF!" Shishiwakamaru shouted, his fuschia eyes wide as he watched the girl fall...  
  
But the yard was lit with the green light once again, and she fell into someone's arms. Squinting up through the light, she could barely make out the tall figure's profile as it sprinted away from the sight of the explosion and dumped her beside Kuronue, a pair of amythest eyes glittering with red fire as it turn and sprinted away...  
  
At once the girl was on her feet again, he body glowing with her golden energy. "GO BACK TO HELL, YOU BASTARD!" she cried, firing wave of spirit energy at the demon's shadow.  
  
"I will...for now..." Chitsuko bit back a cry as two eyes, clear as water, stared at her through the dark wind. Fear gripped her heart. "But I will return for you, Hanyou Kohana..."  
  
And just as suddenly as the wind had started, it stopped, leaving the group in still darkness lit only by the pale glow of the moon.  
  
Chitsuko stumbled to a halt, blood dripping down her body and soaking through her magenta-purple uniform. She sighed, her eyes beginning to glass over with pain, exhaustion and fear, and she let her head lapse onto her chest as she fell forward...  
  
A pair of strong arms caught her and held her up. Chitsuko could feel warmth raiding from the body in front of her, seeping inside of her and soothing her wild terror, stemming from the gentle hands that held her. Blinking slowly, her eyes began to focus again. She stared down at a pair of shiny black boots and a pair of black slacks. Tilting her head slowly upwards, she took in a black shirt with tails, red fabric showing underneath the black. The shirt was a v-neck and revealed a lithe chest. A slight breeze picked up and long, dark strands tickled her bloodstained cheeks...  
  
She looked up and gasped as she met a pair of sparkling electic-violet eyes.  
  
And although the mouth was covered by a mask, the girl would recognize those glittering eyes anywhere.  
  
With a loud, mournful wail a waterfall of tears cascaded down her cheeks and she fell forward into the arms of Karasu. 


	12. Chapter 11 Divine Intervention

No one saw THAT coming, now did they? ;D  
  
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Chapter 11: Divine Intervention  
  
The boys could only watch, dumbfounded, as the girl's body fell limply into the demon's arms and went silent. Karasu carefully, almost tenderly, wrapped his arms around her form, one hand cradling her head against his chest. His head was bowed and he was looking down at her with soft eyes. From Kuronue's place on the ground, it looked as though the girl had fainted.  
  
"HE'S BACK!" Jin yelled as stared on in bewilderment.  
  
"But...but Gouka killed you... H-He destroyed your soul!" Touya said, rooted to the ground where he stood.  
  
Rinku was shaking, and Chuu and Shishi seemed to be frozen.  
  
"He died in the Ankoku Bujustukkai!" Suzuki cried, turning to Jin and Touya. "What do you mean his soul was destroyed?"  
  
"During our last battle..." Touya explained, his eyes still on Karasu. "He was hit by an attack that dissolved his already deceased soul and terminated his existence..."  
  
"So you're Karasu..." Kuronue murmured quietly as he pulled himself to his feet and took a step towards the crow. "But if you've been wiped from existence...then what are you doing here? Alive?"  
  
Karasu raised his head slightly, his eyes shimmering softly in the pale moonlight. His voice was low when he spoke. "King Enma works in mysterious ways..."  
  
"KING ENMA brought you back?" Rinku finally spoke up, blinking rapidly in confusion. "But you're...you're..."  
  
"Cruel? Sadistic? Evil? I'm amused," Karasu said. "Please don't tell me you've become familiar with that sterotypical description of me..."  
  
"We saw what you did at the Ankoku Bujustukkai..." Shishi drew his sword and pointed it at Karasu, his fuschia eyes narrowing. "We saw you try to kill Kurama..."  
  
"Wasn't Toguro a bastard?" Karasu replied, cutting him off. "Forcing me to fight in that tournament..."  
  
"You can't play games with us, Karasu..." Suzuki said coldly.  
  
The crow sighed. "I am not here to play games with you..." He looked back down at the girl in his arms. "I'm here for her..."  
  
Kuronue narrowed his eyes, drawing out his scythe as he spoke. "I swear, if you harm one hair on her head..."  
  
Karasu let out a soft chuckle and eyed Kuronue warily. "I will not harm her. I have made a promise to do exactly the opposite of that..."  
  
"I don' understand it!" Chuu said, scratching his head. "What does 'e mean, 'e promised Chitsuko? What happened that I don' know abou'?"  
  
"Remember when Jin and I went to Ningenkai on Shinobi business?" Touya said. "When the Gates of the Hell broke, we were sent there by Koenma to round up the renegade demon souls."  
  
"Ohhh, I heard abou' tha'!" Chuu nodded.  
  
"Well," the Ice Master continued, "Karasu's was one of those souls. According to what Kurama and Chitsuko have shared with us, he came to them in their dreams and warned them of the danger. They kept his whereabouts a secret, though. And Chitsuko said that he promised her he'd protect her..." He voice became quiet and he trailed off as everyone turned to look at Karasu once more.  
  
Kuronue took a nothing steps towards Karasu, reaching out towards the limp girl in his arms. "Is she...alright?"  
  
Karasu stroked the girl's hair and brought his other arm around her waist as well. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"  
  
Kuronue stopped, dropping his hand. "Kohana?" he said softly.  
  
Chitsuko stirred, her hands gripping folds of the demon's shirt. She turned her head just enough so the others could get a clear look at her face. Blood still ran down the right side of her face. Her eyes were red and shining with tears, and her cheeks were wet. The hem of her short pleated skirt was torn and her bare legs and feet were cut and bleeding. The sailor collar had been ripped half off her shirt and rips decorated the front and back, one sleeve now dangling by a thin strip of fabric on her shoulder. The front had been ripped open and her bra was visible, numerous slashes criss-crossing her flat stomach, and a long, shallow slit had been cut open just below her collarbone.  
  
The chimera moaned softly at her condition and his eyes softened. "So this is the one you pray for at night." His gaze ran up and down the demon that held her. "So this is Karasu..."  
  
Chitsuko let out a choked groan and threw her arms around Karasu, burying her face in his shirt, sobbing and whimpering. Karasu embraced her tightly, his soft violet gaze resting on her trembling form.  
  
"I...I'm sorry..." she squeaked. "I...I never got to...to tell you...I'm sorry...I didn't believe you..."  
  
"It's alright," he said gently. "I'm here now. It's alright..."  
  
His lilting voice and soft words soothed her, and she clung to him, tears still pouring down her cheeks. "I missed you..." She let out a soft gasp and her body went suddenly limp against him.   
  
"It's good to know I was missed," he replied in a whisper as he swung her unconcious form into his arms. Her entire body was visible to the others now, and nearly ever inch of her was covered in blood. The gash on her head continued to bleed.  
  
"Is she okay?" Rinku cautiously approached Karasu.  
  
"Her wounds need to be treated," the crow replied. He stared down at Rinku, who shrunk back slightly. "You have no need to worry, I won't bite..." he said.  
  
Rinku breathed a sigh of relief and lead the way around the house to the front door, the others following closely behind him.  
  
"...Hard," Karasu added, earning a shocked and panicked expression from the young boy.  
  
"Wait a minute..." Kuronue ran ahead to trot beside Karasu, a confused expression on his face. "You came back from non-existance...for HER?" He pointed at the limp girl in the crow's arms.  
  
Karasu nodded. "Thank heaven for divine intervention. King Enma saw what I did in the battle against Gouka. He thought my actions were noble, so he reconstructed my soul."  
  
"Reconstructed your SOUL?" Shishi asked, falling into step beside him. "How does THAT work?"  
  
The crow shrugged. "Like I said, King Enma works in mysterious ways..."  
  
"Yeah, and apparantly he's softer than we all expected," Rinku muttered under his breath as the group went back into the house.  
  
The boys let out a groan as their eyes traveled over the devastation inside. Glass from windows and lamps littered the floor, along with broken wood and upturned chairs and tables. Pictures had been knocked off the walls and shelves had toppled, causing books and other assorted items to to topple to the floor, where they lay haphazardly in an array of splinters and chunks. The mess in the kitchen was beyond comprehension; smashed food and broken dishes were everywhere, and the table had been blow clear through the window above the sink. But the biggest problem was the huge, gaping hole in the far wall of Chitsuko's bedroom.  
  
"Well, this sucks," Suzuki remarked soberly. He picked his way down the hallway, stepping through a sea of broken glass and splintered wood. Cautiously he made his way into the bathroom to check out the devastation in there.  
  
The mirrors had not broken.  
  
Upon further inspection of the house, it was revealed that everything but the mirrors had broken. They remained intact and unharmed, with not so much as a scratch on their surface.  
  
"Repairs in 'ere will take foreva!" Chuu exclaimed.  
  
"You go ahead and fret over your darling little house," Karasu said, a mocking tone in his voice. "I'll take care of this little one..." and he walked down the hallway with Chitsuko in his arms, paying no heed to the glass crunching beneath his boots as he slipped into the girl's bedroom and disappeared.  
  
Touya's eyebrow shut up. "He's not himself..."  
  
"Are you sure this is the SAME Karasu that Kurama fought in the Ankoku Bujutsukkai?" Shishi asked.  
  
"The very same," Jin replied. "But you hafta remember, he was a good guy once, afore that Toguro fella came along 'n' whipped 'em..."  
  
Suzuki sighed forlornly. "Well, we better start cleaning up if we want a place to sleep tonight..."  
  
With a grunt, Kuronue floated into the air and flew down the hallway towards Chitsuko's room.  
  
"And just where are YOU, going?" Suzuki asked, perturbed.  
  
The Kuronue held up his middle finger in response and vanished into the girl's room at the end of the hallway.  
  
A wide-eyed and shocked Suzuki watched him go, along with Chuu, Jin, Touya, Rinku, and Shishi, whose eye was twitching. "Well now..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Chitsuko drifted back into conciousness, it was still dark. Without opening her eyes, she moaned and turned her head to the side. Her arms and legs felt like dead weight beneath the blankets and her head was filled with a dull ache. She let out a soft whimper and turned over onto her side, her eyes fluttering slowly open.  
  
A hand was pressed to her forehead and a soft voice said, "She's awake. And she's got a fever." There was the sound of someone getting up and walking out of the room. The footsteps faded down the hallway.  
  
"Ku...ronue?" She reached out one hand and groped the air weakly like a small child.  
  
"Yes, it's me." Fingers entwined with her own and another hand gripped hers, its touch caring and gentle. "You gave us all a scare..."  
  
"I hurt..." the girl moaned, her eyes starting to focus. She could just make out the form of the chimera leaning over her.  
  
"Yes, I know... We cleaned your wounds and bandaged you up. Suzuki gave you some of that tonic, too. But it looks like you have a concussion..."  
  
The girl blinked her eyes slowly, and the pain in her head intensified for a brief moment before sinking back to a dull throb.  
  
"You've been asleep for over a week."  
  
"A week?"  
  
The chimera nodded. "But you're a stubborn one. You'll heal. You talked in your sleep too..."  
  
"What did I say?"  
  
Kuronue chuckled. "Nothing..."  
  
"Tell me..."  
  
"No, no, it was nothing..."  
  
"Kuronue..." she moaned softly as she struggled to sit up.  
  
"Oh no you don't..." The chimera gently forced Chitsuko back down, and she figeted under the blankets. "You need to rest..."  
  
"How much longer?"  
  
"As long as it takes..."  
  
"Good. You're talking..." Karasu came through the door, carrying a small bottle and a spoon. He kneeled down beside Kuronue and pressed his own hand to Chitsuko's forehead. "My, you're burning up..."  
  
Chitsuko whimpered again and withdrew her hand from Kuronue. Karasu took it in his own as he looked down at her tenderly.  
  
"Kara...su..."  
  
"I promised you I would protect you for as long as I have to..." he said as Kuronue pulled Chitsuko into a sitting position and propped her up in his arms. "And it looks as though I'm needed again..." He uncorked the bottle and poured a thick, olive-green liquid into the spoon.  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
"A potion of Suzuki's. It'll clear your head." He held the spoon in front of her mouth. "Chuu suggested giving you a bottle of sake, but the alcohol content would be too much for your ningen body to handle..."  
  
The girl allowed him to spoon the concotion into her mouth, and she promptly gagged. "This tastes like crap!"  
  
"She's better already," Kuronue remarked with a smile.   
  
Karasu chuckled. "Go back to sleep, Chit-chan. You need your rest..."  
  
"But I'm TIRED of sleeping..."  
  
"You'll never get better if you don't rest..."  
  
"But I've been asleep for a WEEK..."  
  
The crow laughed once more and stood up. "I need to have a talk to Suzuki about lodging and such. I don't know how long I'll be staying here... Good-night, Chit-chan..." He exited, taking the bottle with him to return to Suzuki.  
  
Kuronue gently laid her back down and rubbed her back affectionately. The girl's eyelids began to droop, and she smiled weakly up at the chimera.  
  
"Good-night, Kuronue-kun..." she murmured before she dropped off to sleep once more.  
  
"Good-night...Kohana-chan..." The chimera craned his neck down and kissed her softly on the forehead, half to comfort her, half out of sheer affection. When he was sure she was asleep, he lay down next to her and drifted off himself, one arm around her sleeping form. 


	13. Chapter 12 Boys Will Be Boys

This chapter is here for what I'd like to call "purely entertainment purposes." It's goal is to just be sweet and charming...and offer another opportunity for poor Kuro-kun to get beaten. x.x  
  
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Chapter 12: Boys Will Be Boys  
  
Repairs on the house went quicker than they originally had expected. Chitsuko's room, however, was damaged beyond repair, and the girl was moved to an upstairs room that allowed access onto the roof. Karasu was set up in a small room that was connected to the girl's from a door within, and Kuronue finally agreed to his own room. Windows and tables were repaired, and the yard was cleared of the mess.  
  
Autumn began to fade and the air acquired a brisk chill. Trees shed their leaves and all grasses, shrubs, and flowers died, providing room for the new vegetation that would come in that spring. Animals went into hybernation and the annoying clouds of pesky mosquitoes vanished.  
  
And Chitsuko Ichihara began to change.  
  
Her personality remained the same: sweet yet fiery, emotionally innocent yet physically dangerous. She retained all of the aspects of Hanyou Kohana, and she would often sit in her room and practice controlling her energy. By the beginning of November she had managed to conjure her spirit energy into little spheres, and with Karasu's help she was using them to explode things around the house, much to Shishi's disapproval.  
  
"What is that man doing to you?" he asked one day as he and the little fox were making dinner.  
  
"He's just helping, me that's all," she replied as she sliced a log of sushi.  
  
"Helping you what, become bomb-happy?" he murmured, prompting the girl to set off a little explosion at the samurai's feet. He yelped and rubbed his abused ankle, shooting a disapproving look in the girl's direction. But she merely grinned back at him innocently and went back to chopping her sushi.  
  
It was Karasu who first began to notice the change in Chitsuko. She had definitely gotten taller over the course of the seasons; her legs were longer and she looked more...slender. She wasn't skinny, but she had a definite curve to her body that made the simplest motion such as walking seem graceful. Her hair seemed to have gotten lighter, and now appeared to be a light, sun-streaked almond with deep golden hightlights. It hung halfway down her back and had straightened out of its own accord, its waves softer and less harsh than they used to be. As her wounds healed her skin became soft again and she had tanned lightly from spending so much time outside. Her concussion was completely gone in a little over a month and she was once again wandering about the house laughing and spreading joy.  
  
It was as though she had bloomed overnight. Her ningen body had left childhood, and was slowly approaching womanhood.  
  
She continued to spend a majority of her day training out in the yard or in her room and playing with Rinku and Jin. Out of everyone in the house, the little boy, the Wind Master, and the fox seemed the most childish. Jin would take Rinku flying, and Chitsuko would cajole Kuronue into taking her as well.  
  
On one such occassion, the chimera was reluctant to do so. He was tired; he had been woken up in the middle of the night by the girl's whimpering in the next room. His acute senses had picked up her sobs over the pounding of the rain outside. She had begun to cry in her sleep again, and he had taken it upon himself to comfort her. He had snuck into her room and held her while she slept, murmuring words of comfort and rubbing her back soothingly until she had quieted down. After that he had stayed awake by her side, and had not gotten any sleep since.  
  
"C'mon, pleeeease?" the girl wheedled, poking Kuronue affectionately in the side.  
  
"I'm tired," he replied bluntly.  
  
"But Kuro-kun!" She stuck out her lower lip and tugged on one of the chimera's pointed ears.  
  
Swatting her hand away he sighed. "Alright, alright..." He smiled slightly as the girl's weight pressed on his back and her arms reached out to clasp him around the neck.  
  
Grasping her under the thighs so she wouldn't slide off, the chimera flapped his wings and soared up into the air to float beside Jin, Rinku perched on his back. The ground was still wet from the rain and a damp chill hung in the air.  
  
"Alrigh', firs' one ta do fifteh laps 'round the house wins!" Jin proclaimed with a grin. Rinku laughed and grabbed onto the Wind Master's shoulder straps to keep from tumbling off his back. Kuronue and Jin got in line with each other, poised and ready to fly.  
  
"On your marks..." Chitsuko shouted, her hand raised like a signal flag. "Get set... EEEEEEEEE!"  
  
Kuronue took off before the girl could say so, and a cheated Jin yelped in protest as he started behind them.  
  
"Kuronue-kun!" she chastised. The girl leaned forward, laying flat against the chimera's back as he flew at top speed around the house.  
  
The chimera chuckled wickedly and zoomed around a corner, the girl nearly flying off his back as he did so. Jin and Rinku eventually caught up, both of them grinned maliciously.  
  
"Cheat now, will ya?" the boy shouted and lobbed something gooey at the chimera. With a squish a handful of mud splattered itself all over Kuronue's face.  
  
"Oh!" Chitsuko covered her mouth with one hand to stifle a laugh. A moment later, her face was covered in the brown ooze as well and Kuronue was laughing hysterically beneath her.  
  
The girl growled in the back of her throat and tugged on the chimera's ponytail playfully, causing him to rear up and let go of her legs to free his hair. With a small cry the girl tumbled off the chimera and landed flat on her butt in a large puddle.  
  
Jin skidded to a halt in the air and came around with Rinku. "You okay, lass?"  
  
She merely stared at the ground, rubbing her backside.  
  
Kuronue settled down in the puddle beside her and reached out to wipe the mud off her cheek. "Oh Kami, I'm sorry..."  
  
The girl still said nothing.  
  
Kuronue bit his lip. "You're not mad, are you?" He leaned down to look her in the eyes and was promptly pounced on by the kitsune.  
  
With a laugh she sat on his stomach and pinned him down by the shoulders. She picked up a handful of the dark brown slop and ground it into his face. But the chimera wouldn't let her have on the fun, turning onto his side he dumped her off his chest and sloshed a wave of the mudd onto her form. With a start the girl sat up and began to frantically shake out her shirt, reaching down the front of it and chucking away handfuls of mud.  
  
"Oh Kami, it's COLD! Get it out, it's in my bra, get it out!" she cried.  
  
The chimera laughed and picked up another handful of mud, but before he could lob it at the struggling girl the Wind Master swooped down and pelted him with his own ball of the gooey substance.  
  
What followed was a full out brawl between the four of them. The Wind Master and his passenger were knocked to the ground and within minutes the youkai were slathered in mud. When the fight was over, they returned to the house and were greeted by a very agitated, very exasperated Suzuki.  
  
"What did you four DO?" he asked.  
  
"We had a mud fight..." Rinku said sheepishly, smiling innocently.  
  
"Jin, you know better!" Touya exclaimed from behind the blonde youkai.  
  
"It was jus' a bit o' fun..." The Wind Master grinned and ran his fingers through his mud-slicked hair.  
  
Karasu appeared in the hallway, a towel slung over his arm. "I've noticed there's a hot spring in the woods back there. I was just going to ask if you wanted to go and relax a bit, Chit-chan, perhaps test your new bombs..."  
  
The girl's eyes widened. "I'M THERE!" she cried and immediately darted down the hallway and up the stairs to her room.  
  
"I just wash the floooor..." Suzuki moand as he stared at the trail of muddy footprints the girl left behind her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"C'mon Kit, you're dirty as hell!" Kuronue coaxed, splashing water at the girl's feet. "Come on in, we don't bite..."  
  
Chitsuko kicked a bar of soap at him and clutched her towel and bottle of shampoo tighter against her chest. She stood on the banks of the hot springs, watching the boys swim about in the water. Even Karasu had gotten in, and was lounging against the side of the springs not too far from where Kuronue was splashing. He had removed his mask, and because of this Suzuki eyed him warily.  
  
"Yeah, c'mon, Chit-chan!" Chuu cried, motioning for the girl to come in.  
  
The girl sighed. "Alright..." She set the shampoo down on the bank and stepped into the spring, allowing the warm water to caress her body. With a soft, delighted moan she sank down up to her shoulders and loosened her grip on her towel.  
  
"See, now doesn't that feel good?" Kuronue grinned and swam over to her.  
  
"Mmmhmm..." She let her head tilt back against the bank and closed her eyes.  
  
"Just letcher worries float away!" Jin said as he floated by, smiling contentedly.  
  
Chitsuko giggled and slipped down into the water, completely submerging herself in the soothing warmth. She pushed away from the side and swam out into the middle of the spring. The water was so gentle, so wonderful, and in the back of her mind it faintly reminded her of Kurama's embrace...  
  
With a start she surfaced again as he heart twisted painfully. She took a deep breath of air and sighed rather loudly. She adjusted her wet towel and sank into the water again, closing her eyes and allowing herself to float backwards.  
  
Someone took her face gently in his hands. "You really miss him, don't you?"  
  
Chitsuko opened her eyes to look up at Karasu. "Yeah..."  
  
"I hear you cry at night. Is it because of him?"  
  
Straightening up, the girl turned around to face him. She nodded weakly.  
  
"It's alright..." He put a comforting arm around her and brushed her wet hair out of her face. "You will return to him..."  
  
"But now that Zoutarou is back..." her eyes glassed over and her voice trailed off.  
  
Karasu looked down at her tenderly. "You carry an unneceessary burden on your shoulders. It's weighing down you heart..."  
  
Chitsuko looked up into his shimmering amythest eyes, her own wide and bright with fear an anxiety.  
  
"WHO'S UP FOR MARCO POLO?" Chuu cried, waving an empty bottle of sake above his head. His face was red and his grin was broad and stupid.  
  
Chitsuko sweatdropped. "Here we go..."  
  
"I'll go first!" Touya demanded, taking his place in the center of the springs and closing his eyes. "Marco!" he shouted.  
  
"Polo!" everyone squealed, darting in every direction as Touya lunged out, a wicked smile on his face. Karasu picked Chitsuko up and carried to the other side of the spring, clear out of the Ice Master's reach.  
  
Finally his hand brushed Kuronue's wing, and it was the chimera's turn. "This should be interesting," Shishi said as he backed away from the bat youkai.  
  
"Marco!" Kuronue cried.  
  
"Polo!" Chitsuko darted under the water and swam right past the chimera's legs as he groped around for someone to catch. Rinku splashed away, attracting Kuronue's attention, and squealed as Kuronue reached forward, narrowly missing the boy's arm. Chuu threw his sake bottle across the spring, and it landed with a shattering crass on the other side. This confused the poor chimera and he stood still for a moment, not knowing which way to turn.  
  
"Marco..." he said tentatively.  
  
"POLO!" Chitsuko said with a laugh as she surfaced in the more shallow part of the spring, unknowingly close to the chimera.  
  
Kuronue was right behind her. When he heard the girl's voice he whipped around and his hand shot out to grasp her towel. Thinking he had gotten hold of her, he quickled yanked back his hand, ripping the towel clear off the girl's body.  
  
Chitsuko's stormy eyes widened and she yelped, immediately sinking into the water, her face flushed with embarassment as she desperately tried to shield her nudity with her arms. In an instant Karasu was behind her, his arms around her from behind, covering her sufficiently. The girl turned a deeper shade of red when she noticed everyone else in the spring staring at her, and shifted uncomfortably as Karasu's bare wet skin rubbed against hers.  
  
Kuronue's eyes flew open at the wrong moment. He saw Karasu standing there, clutching the exposed girl to his body, and promptly lunged at him. "GET THE HELL OFF OF HER, YOU PERVERT!" he yelled and lashed out at Karasu, tugging fiercely at a clump of the crow's long black hair. Karasu let go of Chitsuko and whipped around to meet the chimera, his eyes glittering wildly with a sharp red light...  
  
BOOM.  
  
There was a series of yells and the water exploded from the spring, splashing in every direction and tossing its occupants out onto the grass and among the surrounding trees. A hissing cloud of steam billowed up from the spring bed, choking the already damp air with fog. When it had thinned out, it revealed the springs to be nearly empty of water, with a very disgusted, very menacing-looking Karasu standing in its center.  
  
"WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" Suzuki shouted as he helped Shishiwakamaru to his feet.  
  
"Yeah, wouldja mind?" Jin sounded annoyed as he plucked a dazed Rinku out of bush with the help of Touya.  
  
Chuu, who was laying on back on the bank of the spring, scratched his head. "Where did my sake go?"  
  
The chimera had been flattened against a tree trunk. Now he pulled himself to his feet and stalked over to the springs edge, glaring dagger down at Karasu. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR? YOU WERE THE ONE MOLESTING THE POOR GIRL!"  
  
"You were the one who ripped off her towel, you ignormaus!" the crow shot back, climbing out of the drained spring to come face-to-face with Kuronue. "You've just exposed the poor girl..."  
  
"YOU WERE MOLESTING HER, YOU BOMB-HAPPY FREAK!"   
  
"Say that again." A small, pulsing ball of green light formed in Karasu's hand. "I dare you."  
  
Kuronue gritted his teeth and hissed, "You...bomb-...happy...fre..."  
  
"SOMEBODY? A LITTLE HELP HERE?"  
  
The boys looked up to see Chitsuko straddling a high tree branch, her arms clutched around her chest. She was shivering, and she looked very uncomfortable. Her skin was still flushed with embarrasment as she called shyly, "Could someone give me my towel? It's cold up here..."  
  
Shooting one last angry glance at Karasu, Kuronue snatched up Chitsuko's towel from where it lay on the ground and flew up into the tree. He seated himself on the branch and wrapped the towel around her as she removed her arms from her chest. The chimera's cheeks turned a deep shade of red and he looked away as the girl adjusted the towel. Chitsuko's blush deepened as well and she tilted her head upwards to avoid looking at him. Look anywhere but down, look anywhere but down...  
  
The chimera took her up in his arms and nimbly leapt back onto the ground. The other boys had already gotten their towels and tied them around their waists. Shishi handed one to Kuronue, and he set Chitsuko down so he could wrap it around himself. The girl was still shivering. The early winter wind blew through the forest, and the girl let out a choked cry and clung to Kuronue.  
  
"Don't let him get me..."  
  
The chimera put his arms around her. "We won't let him get you..." The wind had obvious scared her, reminding her of the last painful attack of Zoutarou's. The girl had enough to worry about, what with still being unable to recover the Dusk Birth and all, and this damn Zoutarou guy was just making it worse...  
  
The nine of them walked back to the house in silence, except for the occasional snide comment from the chimera or the crow.  
  
"I've got my eye on you, Karasu..."  
  
"Watch it Bat Boy. I won't hesitate to blow those wings right off your back..."  
  
"I'd like to see you try..."  
  
Chitsuko, walking slightly ahead of them beside Rinku and Chuu, shook her head and chuckled. "I suppose boys will be boys..." she murmured to herself as they headed for home. 


	14. Chapter 13 Not So Little Fox

::Giggles maniacally:: No one saw this coming either! BWAHA!  
  
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Chapter 13: Not-So-Little Fox  
  
Fall became winter, and a biting cold settled solidly over Makai. The fire places in the kitchen and living room of the house were kept burning steadily at all times, although this did nothing to lessen the freezing chill in other parts of the house. Chitsuko, who's room was farthest away from the fires, had the worse deal; her room received little to no warm and bundling up at night did nothing to help. But the kitsune did the best she could to prevent herself from freezing to death.  
  
Suzuki began to disappear from sight for days at a time. He would hole himself up in the basement of the house, a place where Chitsuko had been denied entrance, and Shishi would occasionally bring him food or anything else he needed. Chitsuko tried prying the samurai for information about the youkai's strange hybernation, but every time he would shoo her away from the basement door and say, "It is nothing that concerns you. You'll only get in the way." The girl would stomp off with a scowl, feeling quite unloved.  
  
After one such time the girl had decided to bake something to clear her mind. She was still worried about the renegade demon theives; they had not been caugt and the Dusk Birth was still in their hands. So the girl decided to drown her sorrows in the making of an apple pie.  
  
Chitsuko had already completed one, and was slicing up apples for another when Kuronue stalked into the kitchen, yawning and scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Have a nice nap?" the girl asked without turning around.  
  
"Yeah..." The chimera gazed lazily out the window at the falling snow. A thick blanket of white powder already covered Makai, and the soft snowfall had yet to let up. He slid to the floor and sat against the low cabinets, close to where the girl stood beside the counter. He sniffed the air, and the sweet aroma of spiced apples filled his nose. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm baking apple pies." Picking up the apple slices, she dumped them into a shallow pie plate that was already covered with the dough for the crust. She reached for another apple and began to skin and cut it, just as she had done with the first one.  
  
"What for?" Kuronue turned to look at her and nearly choked. The chimera started and tilted his head back to look over the girl's entire form. "When did your legs get so long?"  
  
"When did your brain get so stupid?" The girl rolled her eyes and started on another apple. "Since when do YOU notice how I look..." she murmured under her breath.  
  
"Since always."  
  
Chitsuko stopping cutting for a moment. He had heard her... She began chopping more frantically, dumping slices into the plate and slicing up two more apples at an almost fanatical rate.   
  
The chimera took her silence as a request for an explaination. "I mean, your ningen body is what, seventeen now, right? You used to look like a little kid back when I first met you. You were kinda short and flat-chested..."  
  
Kuronue didn't get a chance to finish as Chitsuko picked up nearby frying pan and slammed it down onto his head. The chimera yelled and sprang to his feet, his teeth barred in anger.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?"  
  
"You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?" the girl snapped back as she cut into another apple and turned away from him.  
  
"I'm just telling the truth!" When Chitsuko didn't answer Kuronue darted to the other side of her, leaning over the counter and trying to look her in the eye. "It's not my fault you're so damn sensitive about everything!" Not waiting for a reply, the chimera grabbed the girl's wrist and yanked her violently around to face him as he cried, "Maybe I could actually be happy around here if you WEREN'T SUCH A LITTLE BITCH!"  
  
There was a cry and the knife clattered to the floor as the girl yanked her hand away to grab her other wrist. Footsteps pounded down the hallway, and within seconds Karasu was in the kitchen doorway, his eyes locked on the pair.  
  
For a moment Kuronue stood there, unsure of what was happening. And then his words came back to him and he reached out to embrace Chitsuko. "Oh Kami... Kohana-chan, I'm sorry..."  
  
But the girl backed away, her stormy blue-gray eyes wide and bright, shining with tears and what the chimera registered as shock and pain. She was trembling, and looked as though she would burst into sobs at any moment. Looking down, Kuronue saw the long cutting knife on the floor, a smear of red liquid along its teeth...  
  
With a start the chimera realized what happened, and his eyes darted to the girl's other wrist. Blood was starting to seep through her fingers and drip down her arm, collecting in a little puddle on the floor beside the knife.  
  
"Kohana-chan... I...I didn't mean to hurt you! Oh Kami..." the chimera stuttering, trying once more to take her into his arms.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Karasu bellowed as he stepped into the room, flying to Chitsuko's side. He reached out to inspect her wrist but the girl withdrew from him and squeezed her eyes shut as hot tears ran down her cheeks. The crow whirled on Kuronue, his eyes shining with a malicious red light. "What did you do to her?!"  
  
"I said I didn't mean it!" Kuronue shouted back. "It's not my fault she's so god damn moody..."  
  
"She has a lot of emotional baggage right now! It's not her fault..."  
  
"I don't even know what the hell that Zoutarou guy did to her in the first place! How do I know she's not just some little drama queen, looking for sympathy for no freakin' reason?" The chimera's face was red with anger as he glared at Karasu. "How do I know Zoutarou didn't just look at her the wrong way or something?"  
  
"You're a fool Kuronue. A first-class, god-damned fool..."  
  
"Well you're a freakin' pedophile! I've seen the way you look at her sometimes. How do I know you're not gonna rape her or something the minute I turn my back?!"  
  
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!"  
  
The boys started as Chitsuko screamed and ran out of the kitchen, still clutching her wrist. Immediately Kuronue ran after her, Karasu on his heels.  
  
"This is all your fault, you stupid bat," Karasu spat as they followed the girl down the hallway and up the stairs. "If you had just left her alone..."  
  
Kuronue had no response. Instead he beat his wings and flew ahead, closing the gap between him and Chitsuko and reaching out to grab her arm.  
  
"Kohana, please...!"  
  
"SPIRIT BOMBER!" The girl whirled around, a small sphere of golden spirit energy in her hand, and flung it down on the stairs before Kuronue. There was a small explosion and the chimera fell backwards down the stairs, landing on the crow and knocking them both to the floor amidst the wispy smoke.  
  
"You're an idiot." Karasu pulled himself to his feet and brushed himself off before darting up the stairs.  
  
Kuronue followed him down the hallway to the girl's room. The door was closed. Karasu reached out to slide it open then let out a small gasp and recoiled his hand. A soft golden light flared up from the door and small bolts of energy lashed out at his hand.  
  
"She put up a kekkai, a barrier..." he murmured. "And I don't want to risk blowing this whole place to bits just to open a door..."  
  
"What are you muttering about now, you freak?" Kuronue questioned, one eyebrow shooting upwards.  
  
"Nothing that will benefit you." The crow darted to the next door over and disappeared through it, sliding it shut with a bang behind him.  
  
"What are you doing...?" And then Kuronue remembered that Karasu's room was connected to Chitsuko's by an inner door. Quickly he grasped the door and was immediately rewarded with a smarting shock of energy. "DAMN YOU, KARASU!" he yelled and slumped against the wall, holding his abused hand. With a sigh his anger began to ebb, and at last only remorse gripped his heart.  
  
"I know I should be nicer to her..." he murmured, sliding to the floor and hugging his knees to his chest. "She lost, she's scared..." He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Some protector I am..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Making sure that his own energy barrier was up, Karasu crossed the room and flung open the inner door. There was a yelp and Chitsuko sprang up from her futon, backing away towards the wall. With a pang Karasu realized that the red stains all over her sheets was her blood, and from the looks of it she had slit the blood vessels in her wrist. The crow walked carefully towards her, trying his best not to seem like a threat.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan, please... What's wrong? What happened with Kuronue...?"  
  
"EVERYONE JUST GET THE BLOODY HELL AWAY FROM ME RIGHT NOW BEFORE I KILL MYSELF!"  
  
Before Karasu could digest her fiery words, the girl turned around and desperately began tugging at the window behind her. When it didn't open, she kicked out the glass pane, climbed onto the sill and took a flying leap into the snowy world outside.  
  
"OH KAMI!" was all that the crow could say as he ran to the window, his eyes scanning over the white ground for any sign of her. He saw no trace of the poor girl, but beneath the window, vertically down from where the roof slanted under her window, several splatters of bright red marred the clear white snow.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Dashing around the house, the girl searched frantically for a place to hide. She couldn't take it anymore. Karasu had been right about her emotional baggage, and Kuronue was doing nothing to help. The love-hate relationship had hit its climax, and she had run away, run away again just like she did with all her troubles. When she didn't understand something, she ran. When she was frustrated or angry, she ran. And when she couldn't take life anymore, she ran...  
  
Lifting her stormy eyes to the sky, she let the cold snowflakes fall onto her face, melting on her flaming cheeks and numbing her skin. In a voice more like a pleading whimper than a whisper, the girl said, "I wish I could just die and end it all..."  
  
But you can't die... A sudden thought stirred in her mind. If I lose this body, then where will I go? I'll have to find another pregnant woman and inhabit the fetus, take another person's life...  
  
"Who is this?" she murmured aloud. "This isn't me..."  
  
Yes it is. The you who hasn't been tainted by those damn ningens...  
  
She blinked, and her tears suddenly ceased. "...Hanyou...Kohana?"  
  
You ARE Hanyou Kohana. There is still a side of yourself that hasn't been poisoned by the ways of humans, a side that yearns to break free...  
  
With a choked gasp, Chitsuko realized what was happening. "You mean...the me I am now...isn't Kohana?" she mused to herself. "Since I died so young, wouldn't this be my personality."  
  
...In a way. But remember, part of you is youko, and that part refuses to be tamed...  
  
"This is too weird..." The girl stumbled around the other side of the house. She had begun to feel dizzy, watching her blood drip down her arm and onto the snow. She pressed her hand to her head. "I need to take care of this thing..."  
  
There was a small set of doors built into the side of the house on an angle. "No doubt leading into the basement," she said. "But Suzuki and Shishi said I'm not allowed in there..."  
  
"CHITSUKO-CHAN!" Karasu's voice rang out in the cold evening air. "CHITSUKO-CHAN, WHERE ARE YOU?"  
  
Without a second thought the girl swung one of the doors open and disappeared into the darknesss below.  
  
The door shut with a bang behind her, and with a start she realized that it wasn't dark at all. Candles and other lights lit a large, spacious area. The walls were covered with shelves, tables, desks, and work benches, all crammed with assorted items; jars, bottles, swords, unfinished hilts, boxes, pouches, and all sorts of odd things the girl had never seen before. She stepped into the middle of the room, gazing in awe at the workshop laid out before her.  
  
"I knew you'd find your way down here soon or later..."  
  
Chitsuko turned around. Suzuki, a small smile on his face, slid off the stool where he was sitting and crossed over to her. "What were you doing outside?" The girl showed him her wrist, and alarm passed over his face. "How did you get that? You didn't try to..."  
  
"No, no I didn't..." she responded, dropping her gaze. "It was an accident in the kitchen, with Kuronue..."  
  
The blonde man shook his head. "You two... Come here." Within minutes the girl's wrist was clean and bandaged. Suzuki handed her a mug of tea, still hot, that had been sitting on the work bench beside him and encouraged her to drink it. "It'll help get rid of the dizziness," he said.  
  
The girl sipped her tea and looked at her surroundings once more. "What is this place?"  
  
"This..." Suzuki motioned around him, "is my workshop. This is where I come up with my ingenius mystical items and such. There is where I brew most of my medicines and tonics, along with a few other potions and concotions that come in handy... I've made countless weapons for battle or for everyday use." He grinned proudly. "Take a look."  
  
"But I thought I wasn't allowed down here?"  
  
"Yeah," the youkai sighed. "But I really don't mind now. I've finished what I was working on and I really don't mind you looking around... as long as you don't touch anything."  
  
Chitsuko nodded and walked leisurely around the workshop. "Where do you come up with the ideas for all these things?"  
  
Suzuki chuckled. "Ahh, yes... I am quite brilliant, and therefore it takes so little effort to come up with a good weapon or potion that I practically have to work at it!"  
  
"I see..." The girl giggled. Suzuki could be so over-dramatic sometimes. She stopped in front of a shelf covered with assorted glass bottles. Many were long and thin, and others were short and fat. Some were square and still others were oddly shaped like beakers. Scanning the contents of the shelf, a rather round, plump bottle filled with a red-violet liquid caught her eye. Floating in the bottle was a small oval object that looked remarkably like a peach pit.  
  
"What's that?" She pointed at the bottle, looking at the youkai for an explaination.  
  
"Oh, that's one of my more... potent inventions." Suzuki picked up the bottle and turned it over in his hands. "This potion was made from the Fruit of the Previous Life, a fruit that grows only in the Spirit World. It's hard to acquire and even harder to work with. It takes nearly a month to extract enough juice from the fruit for one swallow."  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
Suzuki smiled. "Exactly what the name says. It returns a person to a state similar to that of their beginning, the start of their life. For any youkai or ningen, taking it in either as a gas or a liquid returns them to their toddler years."  
  
Chitsuko's eyes widened. "That far back?"  
  
Suzuki scratched his head. "Well, for most people, yes. It all depends on how young you are and how much you intake. Shishi breathed in a hefty amount of its gas form once and turned into a fetus. THAT wasn't a pretty sight..."  
  
The girl giggled. "Haha, Shishi as a fetus..."  
  
"Yes, well..." Suzuki stifled a laugh of his own and continued. "Kurama took some of it during the Ankoku Bujutsukkai. It temporarily returned him to his original youko state and he was able to fight Karasu that way. I'm sure he's told you about the whole thing..."  
  
"Noooo..." The girl slowly shook her head. "He didn't tell me about transforming into Youko..."  
  
"Oh, well... This is the stuff that did it."  
  
Chitsuko eyed the bottle at Suzuki set it back on the shelf. If only I could take some of that potion... she thought to herself, I would be able to...  
  
"DINNER'S READY! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GO FIND CHITSUKO?" The inside basement door flew open and Shishi's head poked through. He sighed with relief and a smile crossed his handsome face. "There you are, Chit-chan. Karasu and Kuronue are going mad trying to find you."  
  
"Oh?" The girl expressed indifference as she followed Suzuki up the stairs and into the kitchen.  
  
"What happened between them anyway?" Shishi murmured as he kneeled down beside Suzuki.  
  
"Chit-chan and Kuronue had a fight. She ended up getting her wrist slashed. How, I don't know. Don't know what Karasu had to do with it either..."  
  
Chitsuko situated herself between Jin and Touya. Rinku and Chuu sat at the other side of table, while Karasu and Kuronue reluctantly took places next to each other opposite Suzuki and Shishi. Chitsuko did not look at the crow or the chimera throughout the entire course of dinner, and would not speak unless someone spoke to her first.  
  
"Chit-chan, ya feelin' alrigh'?" Chuu asked with concern.  
  
"I'm fine," she said blandly before returning to her food.  
  
The youkai eyed the bandages around her right wrist. "Oy, what 'appened to yeh wrist?"  
  
The girl pasued for a minute before replying, "I don't know."  
  
"Surely you mus'..."  
  
"I'm done. Excuse me." Chitsuko set her chopsticks down and stood up. "The food was good, Shishi." After bowing respectfully to the samurai in thanks, she turned and left the kitchen without a backward glance.  
  
"Don't press her, Chuu..." Karasu said, setting down his own chopsticks.  
  
"Where'd your mask go?" Rinku asked suddenly.  
  
"It's upstairs. I don't necessarily have to wear it all the time..." the crow said without feeling.  
  
"Nevermind yer mask, what's wrong with Chit-chan?" Jin turned to Karasu. "Did you two have a fight?"  
  
"Ask Bat Boy," he replied, jerking his thumb in the chimera's direction.  
  
Kuronue lowered his eyes. He hadn't even touched his own food. "We had a fight. I called her a bitch and accidentally made her cut her own wrist. I didn't mean to..." He sighed. "This sucks."  
  
"Go apologize to her," Touya said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Go apologize to her." The Ice Master looked sternly at the chimera. "It's the only way she'll ever warm up to you again. After a stunt like that you can't expect her to forgive you right away..."  
  
"He might screw that up too," Karasu said, glancing warily at Kuronue.  
  
The chimera rewarded him with a snear and stood up. Ignoring Karasu's wry chuckling behind him he made his way down the hallway and up the stairs. Pausing before the girl's bedroom door, he took a deep breath. "If this doesn't work, then I don't know what will..." Bracing himself for impact with another heavy object, he slid the door open and stepped inside. "Kohana-chan...?"  
  
The room was empty.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko stood in front of a shelf in Suzuki's workshop, enveloped in complete darkness. She shivered slightly as the cold winds of the winter night blew through cracks in the outside basement doors. She reached out, her fingers running over the smooth, round glass of a bottle. It was cool under her fingers. She grasped it carefully in her hand and drew it towards her, trembling slightly with anticipation.  
  
The girl stared down at the Fruit of the Previous Life potion. Here it was in, her hands, with no one to take it away from her... But why was she hesitating?  
  
"Stop being stupid," she told herself outloud. Pulling out the cork stopper, she brought the bottle to her nose and sniffed it. It had no smell. Finally she brought it to her lips, but stopped once more.  
  
Take it, she thought. Once swallow, that all you need. Take it now. You want it... You need it...  
  
"I need..." she murmured to herself, her voice hardly sounding like her own, her grip on the bottle tightening. "I need... to be freed."  
  
Chitsuko closed her eyes, pressed the bottle to her mouth, tilted her head back, and poured the entire bottle of potion down her throat.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"She's not in her room..."  
  
Kuronue joined the other demons in the living room. Karasu stood against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He nodded to Kuronue when the chimera entered, but otherwise continued to eye him warily. Rinku sat in the middle of the floor with Jin, playing with his yo-yos. Chuu was sprawled in an armchair, while Shishi and Touya lounged on the couch. Suzuki was watering a row of strange flowers and plants that sat on the long windowsill in various pots and troughs.  
  
"She wasn't?" Shishi asked, shifting into a sitting position.  
  
"No..." The chimera shook his head sadly and plopped down onto the floor. He fiddled with the leaves on a tall potted plant next to the door.  
  
"Where could she be then?" Suzuki set the watering can on the sill and walked over to Kuronue. "She wouldn't of run out of the house again, it's far too cold, especially at this time of night. Last time I saw her before dinner, she was with me in my..."  
  
Suzuki trailed off as the air began to crackle suddenly with static. The air became misty, almost foggy, gray cloud swirling around the youkai as they sprang to their feet, alert. There was a dull rumbling noise as a wind began to pick up in the house, not a harsh wind, but a strong breeze.  
  
"Jin...?" Touya looked over at the Wind Master.  
  
"Don' look at me!" he replied, his blue eyes wide.  
  
A sharp crack split the air and a low, echoing boom sounded. Kuronue dashed into the hallway, and suddenly let out a startled yelp. The plant near the door had started to grow of its own accord, vines twisting around the chimera's ankles and rooting him to the spot. They twined up his torso and arms, tieing them above his head as the plants branches spread to the ceiling, crashing through the doorway and causing plaster and wood to crumble to the floor.  
  
Suzuki spun around as something tickled his back. The plants on the windowsill were growing as well, their pots and troughs cracking and shattering to pieces. Blooming flowers sprung up everywhere, roots stretching out towards him and the other youkai as they ran into the hallway to help Kuronue. But the harder they tugged, the more the plants grew, and the tighter their held on Kuronue became. More plants crashed through the kitchen, the two groups of branches and vines meeting in the hallway to tangle themselves around the eight youkai.  
  
A small sphere of green light formed in Karasu's hands, and he quickly threw it down at the plants. It erupted with a small explosion, cutting through the thick web of plants that had begun to form in the hallway around them and had begun to creep up the walls. To the crow's dismay this caused more plants to creep in, knotting themselves around the youkai once more in an intricate pattern of flowers, roots, vines, and leaves.  
  
Suzuki squinted through the fog to look down the hallway. The small metal staircase that stuck out into the hallway was hidden by an open door.  
  
The open basement door.  
  
"She didn't!" he shouted aloud to himself.  
  
"Oh, she did..."  
  
The eight youkai stopped squirming to listen. The voice that had just spoken was soft, gentle, and almost smoldering. There was a slight lilt to it, but behind its charmingly feminine tones lay a vocal strength that could only be associated with power. The mist began to thin and the plants began to grow faster, tendrils and vines reaching towards the staircase...  
  
"Oh Kami..." Suzuki breathed. He was the only one who seemed to know what was going on, what was happening... What they were about to see...  
  
"Would someone mind telling me what is going on?" Kuronue shouted, but everyone stood still, held in place by the plants, their eyes turned to the staircase...  
  
"This is exactly what happened when..." Karasu breathed, trailing off suddenly as the vines slammed the basement door shut.  
  
Two sterling silver eyes pierced the mist, glittering in the dim light of the hallway. Tresses of pale gold fell over smooth shoulders in waves, two golden fox ears poking through the crown. Milky-skinned shoulders led to long, graceful arms and a well-filled bust, down to a slender waist and tight stomach, ending in two long smooth legs and bare feet. All was clad in a sleeveless dress of sorts, white and cut all the way down the middle. The neckline was low and the dress was tied shut with a long leather string, ending at her hips and revealing tight white underwear. A bushy golden tail was visible, swishing lazily in the air.  
  
"Y-you're... You're...!" Kuronue stammered, his deep purple eyes wide.  
  
The young woman perched on the stairs chuckled and leaned back on the step behind her. The mist had completely cleared, allowing the youkai to see the mischeivious grin spread across her face.  
  
"Well know..." Shishi said. Everyone turned to look at him, still struggling against the plants that bound them. "Looks like our little fox isn't so little anymore..."  
  
"Can't get anything by you," she said in the same silky, gentle voice. The fox demon stood up and blew the group of squirming youkai a kiss, accompanied by a womanly giggle.  
  
Suzuki, Shishi, Rinku, Chuu, Jin, Touya, Kuronue, and Karasu braced themselves and turned to find themselves at the mercy of the powerful half-demon thought dead throughout the realms...  
  
Hanyou Kohana. 


	15. Chapter 14 The Infamous Hanyou

This chapter is another one of those sweet ones. Teehee.  
  
This chapter is also dedicated to Rogue, who gave me the inspiration for the "guilty pleasure" quote one day while we were randomly milling down the hallway between classes. This one's for you, Rogue-chan!   
  
=^^=  
  
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Chapter 14: The Infamous Hanyou  
  
"YOU'RE HANYOU KOHANA!" Kuronue finally choked out, his purple eyes wide. He struggled to break away from the vines, but they only held him tighter, his arms tied above his head and his feet bound to the floor.  
  
Kohana clapped once, a small smile on her face as she descended the stairs. "Brilliant." She sauntered coquettishly towards them, her hands clasped behind her back, her tail erect and swishing through the air behind her like a metronome. "And did you figure that one out all by yourself?" She leaned in towards the group of youkai, her soft smile breaking into a wide grin.  
  
"Chitsuko, what's gotten into you?!" Rinku cried. He was now dangling from the ceiling, held up by a net of vines around his waist and arms.   
  
The kitsune raised an eyebrow. "Nothing's gotten into me. I've always been here."  
  
"Well...then...what have you done with Chitsuko?" Shishi demanded.  
  
The hanyou laughed lightly. "I thought you were smart, Shishi." Kohana patted her chest gently, just above her heart. "She's in here. We're the same person, remember?"  
  
The group fell silent for a moment, with the exception of the occasional grunt as they tried to free themselves from the half-youko's plants. It was Suzuki who finally asked the question each one of them was wondering but couldn't bring themself to ask.  
  
"If you're Hanyou Kohana, wouldn't your demon form be a baby? You were killed when you were an infant.... How the hell did you manage to aquire..." He looked her up and down, and could find no words to express her flawless appearance. "...That?!"  
  
Kohana smiled. "Simple. I age as Chitsuko does. If I had lived through my time I would be about..." she looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling and began ticking off on her fingers, "...a little over five hundred years, I'd say. Don't I look good for my age?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"Let us go!" Touya shouted, trying desperately to wrench himself away from the plants.  
  
"Chitsuko...er...Kohana... Whoever you are, couldja please let 's go?" Jin said pleadingly, his blue eyes wide with worry. "Doncha recognize us?"  
  
"Of course I do..." Kohana walked forward, pointing to each youkai as she spoke his name. "You're Suzuki. You let me stay here... And you're Shishiwakamaru, pompous pretty boy." This made Shishi scowl slightly. Kohana noticed this. "Oh, don't worry, Chitsuko thinks very highly of you. She's seen your sweet side, so she knows you're not as stuck-up as you act sometimes... And you're Chuu, and Rinku... You're such a little cutie!" Kohana made her way over to the young boy and pinched his cheek affectionately. "And here's Jin and Touya, Shinobi masters of Wind and Ice..."  
  
Kohana turned to look at Karasu, her sterling eyes glinting in the dim light. "And you're Karasu..." The hanyou frowned when she saw his blank, almost sad expression. "Why the sad look?" When he did not respond, Kohana moved to stand in front of him and look vertically upwards into his amythest eyes. "You don't like me, do you?"  
  
Karasu's face remained as still and set as stone.  
  
Kohana's own face softened, and there was sorrow in her silver eyes. "Chitsuko knows you'd never rape her or hurt her... Despite everything she has gone through and Kurama's opinion she still trusts you..." The hanyou took Karasu's face tenderly in her hands.  
  
"You talk as though you have two separate minds," Karasu finally said, his voice soft. "I thought you and Chitsuko were one in the same."  
  
"We are," Kohana replied. "Merged together into one person. But she has yet to master them both and maintain a balance between them."  
  
"I can see one similarity," the crow said. "You're both extrememly playful..."  
  
Kohana smiled and pulled the crow's head down to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Hard to believe you were evil once."  
  
At last the hanyou turned around to face Kuronue, who continued to stare at her in dumb shock. She laughed merrily when she saw the awestruck look on his face. Her lips curled into a smirk and she placed one hand on her hip, the other behind her head. "Like what you see?"  
  
"You... You look... just like her..." the chimera murmured.  
  
"Hm?" Relaxing her pose Kohana leaned forward. "What did you say?"  
  
"You look just like her..." Kuronue repeated. "The female fox demon that worked with me and Kurama..."  
  
"Female fox demon?" The hanyou straightened up, giving Kuronue her full attention. "What was her name?"  
  
Kuronue nodded. "She looked exactly like you. Gold hair, silver eyes, everything..."  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"I don't know..." he breathed. "I was killed and never found out her fate..."  
  
"What was her name?"  
  
"Her name was..." Kuronue choked and had to take a breath, startling Kohana and worrying her slightly. "Her name was... Kohana."  
  
Maybe that's who I'm named after, the hanyou thought to herself, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"There was another kitsune youko, too. Another female," the chimera continued.  
  
"What was HER name?" the hanyou pressed.  
  
"Misao."  
  
Kohana nodded. My mother, she thought, her eyes glazing over in thought. She was silent and unmoving for a long moment, her glass silver eyes focused on the floor.   
  
"Umm...Kohana-chan?" Jin asked suddenly.  
  
"Hm? What?" The hanyou snapped out of her trance and blinked rapidly to clear her head, now turning to face the Wind Master.  
  
"Think you could... uhhh... let us go?" He smiled innocently.  
  
The kitsune's eyes narrowed and her lips curled in a wry smirk.  
  
"Oooohhh billy..." Jin murmured to the other trapped males. "I don' like the look o' that smile..."  
  
Kohana stretched her arms above her head. "I only meant to tie up Kuro-kun here, but apparantly the rest of you got in the way..."  
  
"Damn... You are beautiful..."  
  
The seven other youkai turned to look at Kuronue.  
  
"Out of all of us, he had to say it first..." Touya said quietly.  
  
"He's gonna get something bashed over his head for it," Shishi added.  
  
"Thank you..." Kohana stepped forward, bringing herself so close to the chimera she could feel his breath on her face. "You are pretty handsome yourself," she murmured as she ran a hand down his chest. And then her mouth was at his ear and she whispered gently, seductively, "Wanna indulge in a guilty pleasure?"  
  
At once the chimera's cheeks were a flaming red and he struggled to free his hand to wipe the blood that trickled from his nose.  
  
"Is that a yes?" The vines around his arms began to loosen and he quickly rubbed his nose, his purple eyes locked on the hanyou. He stood there, unable to respond or move as Kohana reached out to brace herself against the wall and leaned closer to the chimera...  
  
There was a crack and a crash as Kohana snatched a nearby mirror off the wall and smashed it over Kuronue's head.  
  
Shishi, Chuu, and Rinku burst out laughing. Karasu snorted and Jin, Touya, and Suzuki could only watch on, sweatdrops rolling down their faces, as Kuronue lifted the mirror frame from around his neck and tossed it to the side, shards of glass tinkling as they hit the floor like a soft rain shower. He stared agitatedly at Kohana, his left eye twitching. The hanyou smiled innocently back and shrugged.  
  
"I should feel guilty... but it WAS a pleasure..."  
  
"What was that for?" the chimera demanded.  
  
Kohana put her hands on her hips and scowled at Kuronue. "How about that little stunt earlier you pulled in the kitchen, hmm?"  
  
"I SAID IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" the chimera roared. "WHAT THE HELL DOES IT TAKE TO GET YOU TO..."  
  
The hanyou's tail was slapped over his mouth, a small amount of golden fur getting caught in the chimera's mouth. Kohana's sterling silver eyes bore into his own as she spoke to him.  
  
"I know it was an accident. So does Chitsuko. She knows you mean well..." Kohana sighed. "But you can't hold a little emotional sensitivity against her. She's been through alot... WE'VE been through alot... Death, rebirth, more death, and a whole crapload of pain and suffering. What she needs now is a friend, not someone who makes her feel worse... She... I care for you, Kuronue..." The hanyou removed her tail from the chimera's mouth.  
  
Kuronue spat out a few pale gold hairs. "'Care for me'?"  
  
Kohana nodded. "But Chitsuko would never admit that..." She smiled warmly. "I have unresolved issues with Zoutarou. You shouldn't joke about it..." She held her finger to her temple. "Or else..." She pressed her thumb down onto the extended digit, mocking the trigger of a gun. "Bang."  
  
"I can see why Kurama loves you so much..." Karasu said, grinning slightly under his mask.  
  
The hanyou glanced at him sideways and hugged herself. Her face was blank of emotion, and if anything she looked confused. Karasu took this as a silent reprimand, and promptly dropped the subject of her and Kurama's relationship.  
  
Suddenly Rinku let out a strangled yelp. He had managed to free his arms from the vines and now he was dangling upside down. The hanyou clicked her tongue and quickly made her way over to the boy as the vines began to untangle. Rinku fell from the ceiling and Kohana caught him in her arms. The child looked up at her, startled and a bit afraid.  
  
Kohana winked at him. "I don't bite." Then added as an afterthought, "Not most of the time, anyway..."  
  
The vines and plants began to receded, shrinking rapidly back to their original sizes. The eight youkai stretched their limbs and groaned, rubbing body parts that had been constricted by the possessed vegetation.  
  
"That was unnecessary..." Suzuki said, eyeing Kohana. "Exactly how much of that potion did you drink?"  
  
"How much was I supposed to drink?" the hanyou asked in reply.  
  
"One swallow should've been enough..." the blonde said.  
  
"...Oops... Heh heh..." Kohana grinned impishly.  
  
"...How much did you drink? Wait, no, don't answer that..." Suzuki held his face in his hands. "I don't think I want to know..."  
  
"Ummm... the whole bottle..."  
  
"WHAT?!" Suzuki's eyes were wide.  
  
Kohana laughed slightly. "Well I might as well have a little fun while I'm free..." And with another charming laugh she darted into the kitchen, her golden tail swishing behind her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
It was dark. Kuronue sat on the floor before the window in his bedroom, his knees drawn up against his chest. His eyes were focused on the snow that feel softly from the black sky, tinky diamond flakes that sparkled as they fell.  
  
All he could think about was her.  
  
"I don't understand it..." he murmured to himself. "She looks exactly like the Kohana I knew... How can this be?"  
  
"Confused much?"  
  
Kuronue turned around. Kohana was standing with her back to his closed door, her hands clasped behind her in the usual flirty fashion. But the look on her face was solemn, almost sorrowful, as she crossed the room and kneeled beside the chimera. Kuronue let out a small sigh and looked back at the falling snow.  
  
"Can't sleep?"  
  
"It's too cold in there." Kohana surveyed Kuronue, her eyes softening as she took in his hunched over form, blankly staring into the sky. The kitsune put a hand on his shoulder. "You're forgiven. Don't worry about it..." When the chimera didn't answer, she continued. "Chitsuko knows... I know... that you're trying. But you don't have to stay here if you don't want to..." Her own silvery gaze scanned the heavens. "I'm not keeping you back..."  
  
"I already told you, yes you are..." Kuronue replied softly, turning to look at her. "I have to repay you for reviving me..."  
  
Kohana frowned at him. "No you don't."  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"No you don't..." And swiftly the kitsune leaned over and kissed the chimera on the cheek.  
  
When she pulled back her expression was blank, and the blushing chimera could hardly read her features. His deep purple eyes locked on her sterling silver ones, and for a brief moment Kuronue thought about what would have happened if the kitsune's idea of a "guilty pleasure" was different....  
  
But no... He didn't want to destroy the one shred of hope the girl had for a happy return to Ningenkai...  
  
"I don't care what you say..." Kuronue moved closer to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I'm staying here and I'm going to protect you from Zoutarou and repay you for reviving me..."  
  
The hanyou's face was slightly pink as she rested her head on the chimera's shoulder and put an arm around him in return. "If you say so..."  
  
Kuronue smiled, hugging Kohana tightly and he brushed his lips against the top of her head. "I didn't know a youko could be this sweet..."  
  
"...I haven't had time to develop, okay?" Kohana replied.  
  
"I dunno, you look pretty developed to me... OWWW!" the chimera cried as the hanyou snatched a pillow from his futon and slammed it into his face. He toppled over backwards, allowing Kohana to climb on top of him and repeatedly beat his face with the pillow. "That's... not... fair!" he cried, stretching his arm out as far as it would go towards the futon. At last he took hold of a pillow and brought it upwards, knocking the hanyou off of his stomach. Quickly both of them sprang to their feet, laughing like children, desperately swinging their pillows in hopes of making a direct hit.  
  
And so they fought deep into the night, until at last they fell asleep, curled up in front of the window admist a vast sea of white feathers and torn fabric, as the snow continued to fall over the Makai wilderness... 


	16. Chapter 15 The Sensui Tunnel

Extra special thanks to Kia-chan for helping me get through my block on this chapter, and for the spirit energy shield idea =^^= ::huggle:: Arigatou!  
  
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Chapter 15: The Sensui Tunnel  
  
"Stay with me forever, Chit-chan..." With a laugh the girl was swept into the redhead's arms and pulled into a tight embrace. She smiled and inhaled his scent; he smelled just like roses. Chitsuko wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up into her lover's eyes.  
  
"I will..."  
  
Kurama smiled in return and pressed his lips against her own, kissing her deeply as he hugged her closer to him. Chitsuko returned the kiss, the pressure of his warm lips on her own making her sigh and tighten her hold on him. After a long, ecstatic, passionate moment the redhead pulled back to smile down at her.  
  
"I love you, Kohana-chan..."  
  
"I love you too, Kurama-kun..."  
  
It was then that the girl knew this was a dream. For in reality, they had never shared such intimacy, never expressed such emotion...  
  
...Never said those three little words that drew the line between heart-wrenching pain and glorious joy...  
  
* * * * *  
  
The girl stirred and opened her eyes slowly. As they drifted into focus she could make out dozens of thin white shapes strewn around her. She blinked and raised her hand to rub her eyes... and a long muscular arm slid off her shoulder.  
  
With a start the girl whipped her head around to come face-to-face with a snoring Kuronue.  
  
The girl's first initial reaction was to scream, but then thought better of it. If she woke everyone in the house they would surely come running upstairs, only to find her and Kuronue tangled with each other on the floor. Then she thought about waking Kuronue. But that would probably make the situation worse. Afterall, their current position looked far from innocent...  
  
Slowly, carefully, Chitsuko shrugged off Kuronue's arm, causing him to snore loudly. The girl held her breath and remained stone-still until the chimera finally yawned and rolled onto his back, finally loosening his hold on her. The kitsune sad up and quickly pushed herself across the floor, leaving the chimera sprawled on his back in the middle of a sea of white feathers.  
  
She looked down at herself; she was in her human body again, clad in her short black pleated skirt and rose-colored sweater. "But I thought the potion would last longer if I drank the whole bottle..." she thought aloud ot herself as she surveyed the room around her. Torn pieces of fabric and hundreds of white feathers, the remains of Kuronue's pillows, littered the floor. The girl anxiously combed her fingers through her hair and looked back at the sleeping chimera, who continued to snore loudly.  
  
Chitsuko stood up and was at once bombarded with a strange feeling. It started in the pit of her stomach, then spread to her heart, finally coming to settle between her temples in the form of a dull ache. She stood still as stone, her eyes locked on the window. The day was fresh, and the last traces of dawn lingered on the horizon. The snow had stopped, and the ground was covered in a thick blanket of the cold stuff. The ache in her head began to throb as her entire body became alert to a distant humming sound. It was faint, and along with it came a strange pulling feeling like a giant vacuum.  
  
Fear shot through her heart like a lightning bolt.  
  
"Chitsuko! Kuronue!"  
  
The girl tuned at the sound of Suzuki's voice. He sounded anxious, urgent...  
  
"Chitsuko!" Footsteps pounded up the stairs and she quickly threw open the door to Kuronue's room to meet him.  
  
"Suzuki-san?"  
  
"Chitsuko!" Suzuki's eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he darted forward and grabbed the girl by the wrist. "You need to come downstairs, we need to talk to you..."  
  
"What?" Chitsuko's stormy eyes grew wide with worry and fear gripped her heart tighter. "What's going on?"  
  
"Please, just come downstairs and I'll explain..."  
  
"No! Tell me now! What's going ON?" she cried pleadingly.  
  
"Yeah, tell her already..." Kuronue emerged from the room behind her, yawning as his hand worked at the fabric over his crotch.  
  
Chitsuko's eye twitched in disgust. Suzuki gritted his teeth and hissed to the chimera, "All of Makai is in lockdown and all you can do is SCRATCH YOUR BALLS?!"  
  
"'LOCKDOWN'?" The kitsune and the chimera said at once, the latter suddenly becoming alert.  
  
"Come downstairs and I will explain..." Trying to remain calm, the blonde led the two animal spirits down the stairs.  
  
When they entered the kitchen, others were already there. Touya and Shishiwakamaru sat at the table, very somber looks on their faces. Chuu was leaning against the counter, immersed in a bottle of sake. Jin was standing in front of the table, scratching the back of his head nervous. He managed a weak smile as Chitsuko kneeled opposite Touya and Shishi, but the girl was not convinced. Suzuki sat beside Shishi and Kuronue took his place beside Chitsuko.  
  
A minute later, a yawning and sleepy Rinku, still in his pajamas, was led into the kitchen by Karasu. The youkai was wearing his mask and his amythest eyes were glittering with an anxiety Chitsuko had never seen before. The small boy grinned sleepily at Chitsuko, and the girl beconed him over to her. He settled in her lap and she hugged him tightly with silent reassurance... both for him and herself.  
  
"What's going on...?" he asked softly.  
  
"I don't know..." she replied, looking worridly up at Karasu. "I don't know..."  
  
The crow set himself down beside her, but said nothing. Jin cleared his throat, and everyone's attention turned to the Wind Master, who began to pace in front of him, his eyebrows knit together with worry.  
  
"Before I say anythin', does everyone remember that Sakyo guy from the Ankoku Butsukkai?"  
  
Everyone except Chitsuko and Kuroune nodded, and Karasu made a low sound like a growl deep in his throat.  
  
"Sakyo?" the girl questioned.  
  
Jin slapped himself lightly in the side of the head. "Stupid me... Didn' know you weren't aroun' then... Anyway, Sakyo was one o' them humans who deals with demons. He had this whole plan to open up a big ol' tunnel between Makai and Ningenkai so any demon could get into the Human World."  
  
Chitsuko's eyebrows shot up. "Why in the hell would anyone want to do that?"  
  
"Somethin' about rulin' the world with fear instead o' money... I dunno, he was a crazy sadistic bastard..." The Wind Master shook his head. "But anyway, he never got aroun' ta doin' it."  
  
"Well that's good," the girl breathed.  
  
Jin looked at her sternly, his big blue eyes shining with anxiety. "I said HE never got aroun' ta doin' it..."  
  
Slowly, the rest of them put two and two together... and a moment later the kitchen erupted in shouts as they cried out in unison.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Jin nodded solemnly. "It's been done..."  
  
"What kind of sick craphead would do that?" Suzuki asked, banging his hand on the table.  
  
"I don't know. All I know is that all the smaller gates between here and Ningenkai have been sealed up and all youkai have been asked to stay put and not move from their homes under any circumstances..."  
  
There was a long, nasty silence. Suzuki and Shishi exchanged dark looks. Touya frowned up at Jin, who scratched his head and closed his eyes in thought. Chuu swished the sake around in his bottle, his eyes glazed over as he stared up at the ceiling. Kuronue's eye was twitching, and he reached up to rub the last traces of foggy sleep from his vision. Karasu ran his fingers through his long inky-black hair and leaned against the table, his eyes closed. Chitsuko hugged Rinku tighter, and the little boy fidgeted and let out a slight whimper.  
  
"Yomi..." Chitsuko murmured.  
  
Kuronue, who had heard, looked at her strangely. "What?"  
  
"Yomi," the girl said louder. This time the other boys turned to face her as well.  
  
"What about him?" Shishi asked.  
  
"Yomi will know what's going on..." she said slowly. "I have to get to Yomi's city... I have to!"  
  
"But we all have to stay put!" Touya said. "If you're seen milling about out there they'll think you're up to something and they'll kill you!"  
  
Chitsuko glowered at him. "I'll take my chances." She stood up suddenly, dumping Rinku onto the floor. "I need to know what's going on... Ningenkai is in danger!" My friends are in danger... she thought to herself.  
  
Karasu stood up and gripped her firmly by the shoulders. "Now Chitsuko, please, you can't go out there..."  
  
"I don't care!" She shrugged off Karasu's hands. "I need to get to Yomi and find out what's going on! I want to know who did this!"  
  
"We'll all find out soon enough..." Shishi came to stand beside Karasu.  
  
"I don't give a damn, I'm going!" Chitsuko shouted.  
  
Chuu sighed. "And how are you goin' ta get there, love?"  
  
The girl bit her lip and glanced around the room. She would need to get there fast... Walking would take too much time... She doubted she could run that far and be competant enough to speak with Yomi once she got there...  
  
And then her eyes rested on Kuronue's wings.  
  
"You're flying me there." Quickly she grabbed the chimera by the wrist and began dragging him towards the front door.  
  
"Whoa! WHOA!" Kuronue shouted, yanking the girl back so she slammed into his chest. He slid his arms around her and grasped her tightly. "Don't you listen? We could get shot out of the sky!"  
  
Chitsuko whirled around and grabbed Kuronue's face in both hands... hard. "Listen, my friends in Ninegenkai are in danger, and if you think I'm just going to stay here and sit around while their lives are on the line, you're the biggest dumbass I've ever met in my life!"  
  
The boys stared at her, dumbfounded. The chimera's eyes were especially wide.  
  
"Kohana-chan..."  
  
"Kuronue-kun, if you REALLY feel the need to repay me for reviving you, now is your chance to do so..." She let go of his face and took a step back. "Otherwise I'm walking..."  
  
The chimera frowned at her, running over what she had just said in his mind. It was true... If it weren't for her his body would still be a pincushion and his spirit would still be wandering that damned forest. But taking Chitsuko out into the open under such dangerous circumstances could prove fatal for himself AND the kitsune...  
  
Oh what the hell. It wasn't like him to follow the rules anyway.  
  
Without a word, Kuronue smile and took the girl by the hand, leading her down the hallway and out the front door at a run. He could hear the cries of protest behind him as the girl quickly mounted his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He flexed his wings and beat them several times, stirring the cold winter air around them.  
  
"You had better follow them," she heard Touya say. Guessing he had been talking to Jin, the girl turned around and made the hand gesture typical of her Spirit Gun technique.  
  
"If you try to follow us I'm going to Spirit Gun you up the ass," she said to the Wind Master, her voice strangely calm.  
  
Jin took a step back, his eyes wide with shock. He let out a soft noise between a gasp and a groan.  
  
The kitsune smiled with satisfaction. "Good." She turned around, tightening her hold on the chimera, and said into his ear, "Let's go..."  
  
Kuronue flapped his wings and the two were airbourne in a matter of seconds, soaring high over the forest and making their way towards the vast plains that would eventually lead to Yomi's city.  
  
Suzuki, Shishi, Rinku, Chuu, Jin, Touya, and Karasu watched them go, shock and worry playing over their features.  
  
"That girl's a nutty one," Chuu muttered. He looked over at Karasu. The crow was standing nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets, his eyes locked on the chimera and the kitsune as they were swallowed up by cloud-choked air. The youkai set his sake bottle down on the porch railing and nudged the crow with his elbow. "You didn' even try to stop 'er..."  
  
Karasu turned to Chuu, his amythest eyes set and glittering mysteriously as always. "I know what's she getting into. But I have every faith in her and her abilities..." With that Karasu turned and walked back into the house, not wanting the others to sense the anxiety in his heart.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko clenched her teeth as the biting cold rushed past her. With a moan she wished she had at least taken the time to don warmer clothing before running out of the house. She gripped Kuronue around the shoulders tightly and shifted uncomfortably as his wings jostled her position on his back.  
  
"We're pretty high up. If you fall, you die." The chimera reached around and held the girl firmly by the thighs so she wouldn't fall off. "So, where is this... Yomi... again?"  
  
"Over the forest and the plains. Keep heading straigtht. We'll get there... eventually." She glanced behind her. "Why are we this high, anyway?"  
  
"It's harder for anyone to spot us up here. They'd have to sense our spirit energy in order to hit us..."  
  
As if on cue, a long dart of red light shot up from the ground and hit the chimera in the side. Kuronue cried out and his grip on Chitsuko loosened. Frantically the girl climbed higher on his back as the chimera composed himself and continued to fly.  
  
"What was THAT?"  
  
"Someone spotted us, no doubt..." Both chimera and kitsune looked down to find dozens on shining red dots littering the ground below them. "Aww crap, those are Shinobi..."  
  
"You're kidding..." Chitsuko breathed. "They must have been asked to stop any demons that might pass through the tunnel... Which means that they think we're trying to do that... Which means that THEY'RE PREPARING TO SHOOT AGAIN!"  
  
The chimera zoomed forward as two more red lightning bolts shot up from the ground, narrowly missing the girl on his back. "The Shinobi are the best at what they do..." he grunted, dodging several more bolts. "We better think fast or we're done for..."  
  
"It's probably my spirit energy their sensing..." the girl said, eyeing the glimmering red specks below.  
  
"No kidding?" the chimera scoffed. "Your spirit energy goes through the roof!"  
  
The kitsune rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me..." Something wet trickled onto her leg, and she bent over to check it out. She gasped when she saw the shallow cut in the chimera's side, the aftermath of the first lightning bolt.  
  
"Kuronue-kun, you're bleeding!"  
  
"Oh... Right..." He zoomed away from two more bolts and somersaulted in the air, making the girl on his back moan with dizziness. "We have nothing to block those blasts with! And from the looks of it we won't make it to this Yomi guy's place..."  
  
Chitsuko gritted her teeth and stared back at the attacking Shinobi below them. She could always use her Spirit Gun... but that would only prompt a fiercer attack. They could just ignore them... but then they would probably get shot out of the sky...  
  
"Wait..." she said suddenly. "Kuronue, hold on to me tighter..." The chimera obeyed as she moved higher onto his back. Cautiously, she let go of him and stretched her arms out to either side, carefully shifting her weight until she was balanced.  
  
"What are you doing...?" the chimera asked as he darted around another bolt, nearly knocking the girl off her newly perfected balance.  
  
"Just fly straight ahead and pay no attention to the bolts..." Chitsuko took a deep breath and summoned as much spirit energy as she could, wrapping it around herself and Kuronue. Her power expanded to form a huge gold-tinged bubble around them both as they flew through the air.  
  
A bolt of red lightning struck the side of the sphere, crackled, then fizzled into nothing. There was an yell of dismay from below and dozens of bolts reached up from the ground like fingers to grasp the girl's shield. Chitsuko squeezed her eyes shut and focused on keeping the energy barrier she had put into the sheild at a constant, powerful level. The bolts slid off the barrier and zigzagged away into the atmosphere.  
  
The chimera smiled. "And you came up with that all by yourself..."  
  
"Fly faster," Chitsuko grunted. "I don't know how long I can hold it..."  
  
The onslaught of red lightning continued to the gates of Yomi's city. The chimera flew over them, his eyes scanning the huge buildings around him. "Which one is it?"  
  
"That one..." Chitsuko pointed to the large stone building riddled with glass windows. With a loud sigh the girl dropped her energy barrier and flopped down onto the chimera's back as he made a beeline for the building. Below them the streets were empty, devoid of youkai and oddly barren. To the girl it as though she had come to the wrong place; the last time she had been here, the streets had been teeming with bustling youkai.  
  
Kuronue landed on the sidewalk in front of the building and the girl hopped off somewhat weakly. Together they ran inside and were greeted by a completely empty lobby. Kuronue stood in the middle of the stone floor, blinking rapidly like a lost child in a shopping mall. Chitsuko sprinted across the room towards the carpeted spiral staircase, then stopped when she realized the chimera wasn't following her.  
  
"Kuronue!"  
  
"What? Oh! Coming!" The chimera ran across the room and stopped beside her, staring at the huge flight of stairs before him. "How high does that go?"  
  
"All the way to the top. We better fly, it'll save time..."  
  
"But my wings are tired..."  
  
Chitsuko paused. She clenched her hands into fists and turned to face the chimera, her stormy blue-gray eyes twinkling maliciously. "'Tired'? Tired! You don't know the MEANING of tired! In my lifetime I've lost my demon parents, died and been reborn, caused my human mother to die giving birth to me, deceived my human father and left him alone to be murdered! I've been shunned, heartbroken, tortured, stalked, hit on by demons, molested, nearly raped, nearly bled to death and nearly killed! And you say your wings are tired? You haven't KNOWN tired until you've spent a cold, dark night alone in your room, crying because your loved ones are either dead, dying, or endangered, and you have no one to turn to, no where to go... There's nowhere to run because the darkness will follow you, and no where to hide because the darkness never takes its eyes off you..." She put her back to Kuronue and took one step up onto the staircase. "You don't know what it's like to be tired..."  
  
The chimera stood there, silent and still. There was nothing he could say that could counteract Chitsuko's words, no words of his own that could fully sum up the feeling rampaging through his mind and heart...  
  
And then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Chitsuko from behind, hugging her tightly against his chest. He turned her around to face him and before the girl could react, kissed her softly on the lips.  
  
Chitsuko eyes widened and her entire body tensed. The kiss was brief. Once the chimera had brushed his lips lightly against hers he pulled back to look into her eyes. He smiled softly, deep purple hues shimmering with new faith...  
  
"Let's go, Kohana-chan..."  
  
Too dumbfounded to nod, the girl allowed Kuronue to scoop her up into his arms and dart into the air. The chimera hovered above the inner railing and looked up; there was a space on the other side of the inner railing just large enough for him to fly straight up. This would surely bring them to the top faster. The chimera beat his wings and shot upwards.  
  
Chitsuko was still in shock as they zoomed upwards. Every now and then she would look up at Kuronue. The chimera's gaze was trained upwards, fixed on the final floor above them. After several minutes they finally reached their destination. Kuronue touched down on the last floor landing and looked around.  
  
"Now where do we go?"  
  
Chitsuko pointed to the maze of corridors ahead of them. With a soft groan of his own, the chimera set off into the labyrinth of hallways. He nearly flew head-on into a few walls, but his desire to get Chitsuko to Yomi prevented him from getting too upset about it.  
  
At last the girl spotted the blue metallic doors embedded into one of the walls. "There!" she cried, and the chimera stopped in front of them, setting Chitsuko down on her feet. The doors slid open and the girl stalked across the room towards a golden door on the opposite wall.  
  
"Kohana, where is...?"  
  
"Lord Yomi!" The girl cried, knocking frantically on the door. "Lord Yomi, it's Hanyou Kohana! I need to talk to you!"  
  
Almost immediately the door was answered by a very worried looking Hokushin, flanked by Yomi's other two generals. He nodded in greeting to Chitsuko and eyed Kuronue suspiciously as the two animal spirits entered the doom. Yomi was standing facing the window as he had done the first time Chitsuko had met him. Now she ran across the room towards him, only one thing on her mind. "Lord Yomi, what is going on? What's all this about a tunnel to Ningenkai?"  
  
Yomi turned around to face her. He was frowning, but his face still held the same peaceful quality. "Kohana... I thought you would come to see me about this..."  
  
Chitsuko nodded, then remembered he was blind and said, "Yes. I was told that someone opened a huge tunnel making Ningenkai accessable fro Makai..." When Yomi nodded, she continued. "Who did this?"  
  
"A man named Sensui Shinobu," the Makai Lord replied. "He is a former Reiki Tantei member... He was Ningenkai's Spirit Detective before Yusuke Urameshi was discovered by Koenma. But sadly he managed to stumble upon the nasty group known as the Black Black Club."  
  
"The...what?" Kuronue asked.  
  
"The Black Black Club is a group of ningens who kill youkai for fun. Most of their members put teams together for the Ankoku Bujutsukkai and make bets as to who is going to win."  
  
"Ankoku... Bujutsukkai?" The chimera scratched his head.  
  
Yomi shook his head. "That isn't important right now. At any rate, Sensui killed off the humans he found and decided that humanity should end right then and there, and that he would be the one to do it. So to make a long story short, he has opened up an arc between Makai and Ningenkai in hopes that youkai will get through and destroy the entire human race."  
  
"You... You've gotta be kidding..." Chitsuko's voice shook.  
  
"I am not..." Yomi replied. "All of Makai is on alert. Any demons found near the tunnel or traveling towards it will be killed immediately..."  
  
"So we've noticed," Kuronue muttered.  
  
"We were attacked by a large band of Shinobi on the way here," Chitsuko explained. "It wasn't easy getting by them..."  
  
"I can imagine. It will be hard for you two to get back..." Yomi said softly.  
  
"We'll manage..." Chitsuko crackled her knuckles. "Anyway, I was wondering... I have friends in Ningenkai... Is there anyway I can get through to warn them?"  
  
"There is... no way to do that..." Yomi bowed his head slightly. "All the minor gates have been sealed and to try and pass through the arc would be suicide."  
  
"But...!"  
  
Yomi smiled sadly at her. "I am sorry, Kohana... There is no way to get to Ningenkai..."  
  
"LORD YOMI!"  
  
There was a loud pounding on the golden door. Hokushin and the other two generals looked from the door to Yomi, their faces questioning.  
  
"Hold them back for a moment..." Yomi said to them before turning to Chitsuko and Kuronue. He ushered them off towards a door in the side of the room and said, "Both of you, hide in there. Whoever they are, they're looking for you no doubt..."  
  
Chitsuko nodded and slipped inside the room, smaller than Yomi's office and dimly lit. Quickly Kuronue closed the door behind them and they both crouched on the floor beside it, listening as the pounding ceased on the other side and hurried footsteps entered the room.  
  
"Kohana-chan!" Shura bounded towards them, a broad grin on his face, his soft red eyes twinkling. "Father didn't tell me you were coming..."  
  
"Shut up, kid!" Kuronue's whisper was more of a hiss as he clamped his hand over the boy's mouth. Shura scowled at Kuronue and ripped his hand off his face. He opened his mouth to yell at the chimera but the girl caught his eye and put a finger to her lips. A bit confused, Shura nodded and crouched down beside them, Chitsuko putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.  
  
"Master Risho, what is it?" came Yomi's voice.  
  
"Lord Yomi," a second voice said. It was a low and slightly grating. "My Shinobi Tribe spotted two youkai heading towards your city. One had wings, and the other gave off a tremendous amount of spirit energy. They blocked our attacks with a barrier of energy and managed to slip through your gates..."  
  
"Really? How odd..."  
  
"Yes. We advise you to take precaution. We think they're planning on hiding out here until the coast in clear, then make a mad dash for the Sensui Tunnel."  
  
"Thank you, Master Risho. I greatly appreciate your integrity with your assignment."  
  
"I am at your command, my Lord." The same hasty footsteps retreated across the room, and the door slammed behind them.  
  
"You may come out now," Yomi said.  
  
Tentatively Kuronue and Chitsuko stepped back into the room, followed closely by Shura. Yomi turned to them, his brow furrowed. "Shura, what did you hear?"  
  
"Just something about two people escaping into the city," Shura replied.  
  
Yomi nodded, then turned to Kuronue. "You are the one who can fly. I advise the two of you get out of here as quickly as possible. Fly as fast as you can back to your home and don't look back." He now faced Chitsuko. "With your spirit energy you should be able to keep a light barrier up around both of you as you fly. Don't let out too much of your power at once, or the shield may weaken."  
  
"But Lord Yomi, how are we going to get out of this building?" Chitsuko asked.  
  
The Makai Lord nodded to Hokushin. The general walked through the golden door into the other room and return a second later with a chair. He crossed the room and swung the chair at the window, shattering the glass and creating a large gaping hold in its smooth surface.  
  
Kuronue seemed to understand what this meant and immediately hoisted the girl onto his back. "Thank you, Lord Yomi," he said, reading himself to jump out the window.  
  
Yomi nodded, then said, "I never did get your name..."  
  
"Kuronue," the chimera replied.  
  
The Makai Lord smiled. "Stay safe, Kuronue and Kohana..."  
  
"Thank you..." Chitsuko smiled at Yomi once last time before Kuronue ran through the hole in the glass and took to the skies once more.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"...And that's everything he told us..."  
  
Chitsuko finished telling the boys about her and Kuronue's trip to Yomi's city. They sat for a while in thoughtful silence, the girl staring down at her mug of green tea, before Chuu said, "I feel sorry for Urameshi and th' boys back 'n Ningenkai, don' you?"  
  
Chitsuko's eyes dilated sightly, but she did not answer. Instead she gulped down the rest of her tea, stood up, bowed in respect and left the room.  
  
Suzuki jumped to his feet. "Don't let her..."  
  
"I'll handle this," Karasu said softly as he stood up and left the room. He caught up with the girl as she was about to enter her room. He turned her around slowly to face him, his amythest eyes locked on her stormy hues. "I know exactly what you're thinking..."  
  
Chitsuko's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm finding a way to get to Ningenkai, with or without any of you..."  
  
The crow chuckled. "Who said you'd be going alone?"  
  
The girl blinked up at him questioningly.  
  
"Every since I first laid eyes on you in your dreams I knew you were someone who would never back down... Your fiery personality and willingness to put your own life on the line for your friends is a truly admirable quality... But I also know that you won't hesitate to break the rules if they interfere with your plans... Once your heart is set on something, you never turn back..." Karasu brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "For that I have every faith in you..."  
  
Chitsuko's sharp eyes softened. "Thank you Karasu-kun..."  
  
The crow's smile was hidden by his mask as he said, "We depart for the Sensui Tunnel at dawn." 


	17. Chapter 16 At The Mercy Of The Enemy

Sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long, but I hit a rift with this chapter. This chapter doesn't deserve any little smiley faces up here, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless...  
  
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Chapter 16: At the Mercy of the Enemy  
  
When Chitsuko woke up it was still dark, and a heavy lump had formed in the pit of her stomach while she slept. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she looked out the window at the gray winter sky. The ground was still thickly covered with snow and there was no sign it would be melting anytime soon.  
  
Silently the girl got to her feet and crossed to her closet. She rummaged around on its floor until she found her backpack. Her face devoid of emotion, her heart trying to feign indifference, she began to pull her warmest clothes off their hangers; her rose-colored sweater, black pleated skirt, her old Sarasaki High uniform, and two tight-fitting long-sleeved shirts. Once she had stuffed the clothes into her pack, she quickly changed into a pair of black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt and a short red tunic with blue trimming. Chitsuko set her back beside her closed door and carefully made up her futon. Finally, she sat down at her desk, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write. Every now and then she would pause, listening for any sign of movement in the other parts of the house. When she heard nothing, she finished writing and pulled open a drawer, dropping the pen inside. Before closing the drawer she picked out a folded piece of paper. She opened it, looked at it, then refolded it and slid it under her shirt, tucking it into the cup of her bra, just over her heart.  
  
With that she set her note onto her futon, picked up her backpack, and slid into the dark hallway, closing her door gently behind her. Karasu's bedroom door was open, but the crow was not in his room. Her expression still set, she crept down the stairs and into the downstairs hallway. Suddenly she stopped; she now stood before the door to Suzuki's workshop. Without a second thought she quietly opened the door and descended into the inventor's safehaven, making a beeline to the shelf where his potions were kept.  
  
"'Idunn Formula, Rough Draft'... 'Youkai Blood'... Oh yuck... 'Fruit of the Previous Life Extract.' Here it is..." Chitsuko took the rather large bottle of red-violet liquid off the shelf and slid it into her backpack. "Thank you Suzuki-kun..." she whispered to the air around her before fleeing back upstairs.  
  
Karasu was standing by the front door when she got there. The youkai opened her backpack and dumped a medium-sized bundle into it. When the girl opened her mouth to ask what is was, the crow said, "Food. There's nothing decent to eat in the Makai wilderness... that is unless you like the aftertaste of death."  
  
Chitsuko smiled weakly at him and hoisted her backpack onto her back with a sigh.  
  
Karasu put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready? You don't have to do this, you know... I'm sure they'll find out eventually..."  
  
"But I don't know when 'eventually' is," she replied. "I need to tell them... I need to warn them..."  
  
He looked at her for a long moment, scrutinizing her with glittering amythest eyes, then nodded in reply and pushed open the front door. The kitsune and the crow walked out into the cold winter dawn, aware of the danger they would be facing, with no intention of looking back.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kuronue stirred and rubbed his eyes, blinking lazily up at the ceiling. He sat up and scratches his head. Patches of sunlight were shining through his closed curtains and already a cold morning chill had seeped into the room. The chimera yawned and got to his feet, trudging over to the door and yanking it open. Normally he would head downstairs and get something to eat, but today something felt different. Somewhere deep inside of him, his instincts told him to go to Kohana. A bit unnerved, he rapped lightly on the girl's door and asked, "Kohana-chan?"  
  
There was so answer. He knocked a little harder and asked again, "Kohana-chan, you up?"  
  
Still no answer. The chimera slid open the door and was greeted by an empty room. Puzzled, he glanced around. A lone pen sat in the middle of her desk, its cap off, and her futon was suspiciously made. Usually she would tidy it up right before she went to sleep at night. He took a step further and noticed something laying on the girl's pillow. Quickly he crossed the room and snatched it up, his deep purple eyes scanning over lines of neat handwriting.  
  
When he was done, Kuronue stared down at the letter in disbelief, his eyes wide. His grip on the letter tightened, and then...  
  
"SHE'S GONE!" he roared.  
  
At once the other inhabitants of the house were up. Shishi, his hair dishelved and hanging in his sharp fuschia eyes, bounded into Chitsuko's room, glaring daggers at Kuronue. "Do you MIND? Some of us are trying to get some SLEEP!"  
  
"Yeah, wha's all the rucus?" Chuu stumbled in, a yawning Rinku on his shoulder. Behind him came Suzuki in nothing but his boxers, and Jin and Touya, their eyelids still droopy with sleep.  
  
"Somethin' wrong, Kuronue?" the Wind Master inquired. The chimera thrust the letter into the his hand, and the Shinobi master's big bright eyes had barely skimmed the paper when he let out a surprised and anxious cry.  
  
"What is it?" Suzuki asked, his own expression becoming one of worry.  
  
Jin cleared his throat and began to read. "'Suzuki-san, Shishi-san, Rinku-chan, Chuu-san, Jin-kun, Touya-kun, and Kuronue-kun... Karasu-kun and I have gone to the Sensui Tunnel.'"  
  
"NO FREAKIN' WAY!" Rinku shouted in dismay.  
  
The Wind Master gave the boy a forlorn glance and continued. "'We're goin' ta try ta get ta Ningenkai and warn the Reiki Tantei. I don' know if Koenma-sama has found out abou' this and warned 'em already, but I don' wanna take th' chance. I'm willin' ta take th' risk and use the tunnel to get to 'em, since all the minor gates are closed already. And Karasu-kun is with me, so I'll be fine. We'll be back as soon as possible. Besides, Yomi said there was no other way ta get ta Ningenkai from here as of now...'"  
  
"She's somethin' else, she is..." Chuu muttered.  
  
"'...So here I go. Love, Chitsuko-chan'... P.S. Please don' follow us. The Spirit Gun threat remains in effect.'" Jin finished and lowered the paper, his eyes shining with anxiety.  
  
"She's crazy!" Touya shouted. "We have to go after her!"  
  
Without warning Kuronue shot out of the room, nearly knocking them all over. He leapt down the stairs and sped out the front door, nearly knocking it out of the wall. The others ran after him, all traces of sleep and fatigue now gone from their bodies.  
  
"Kuronue, wait...!" Suzuki shouted, but it was too late. By the time the six of them had made it out to the porch, the chimera was already soaring high above the forest and heading in the direction of the Sensui Tunnel. Slowly the youkai was swallowed up the gray sky, leaving the others staring after him in disbelief.  
  
"What do we do...?" Jin asked.  
  
"We go after them, that's what!" Rinku shouted as he hopped off Chuu's shoulder and dashed back inside to put his clothes on.  
  
The others exchanged a quick and knowing glance, and followed the young demon back inside to do the same.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Whatever happened to that deathly scorching heat?" Chitsuko moaned, hugging her arms for warmth. Her and Karasu were now trudging through the snow, a good few miles away from Suzuki's house. They were still a great distance from Yomi's city and had at least three days ahead of them before they would reach the Sensui Tunnel.  
  
Karasu looked over at his young charge, his eyes softened as he watched her shiver violently. He slid off his long black trenchcoat and draped it over the girl. She looked back up at him with wide, questioning eyes.  
  
"But you'll get cold..."  
  
"No I won't. You need it more than I do..."  
  
With a hesitant yet grateful nod, Chitsuko slid off her backpack and poked her arms through the sleeves. Hefting her bag onto her back once more she sighed heavily and fell back into step beside Karasu.  
  
The taller youkai glanced down at her. "You really want to go through with this..."  
  
"Stop asking me that, damnit!" she interrupted, shooting a rather not nice glare in her companion's direction. "It's not a matter of WANTING to go through with it. I HAVE TO go through with it. I have no choice..."  
  
"Yes you do."  
  
"No, I don't. I need to warn the others in Ningenkai. They're in greater danger than we are..."  
  
"But they have spiritual powers as well."  
  
"But they're not demons."  
  
"Kurama and Jaganshi Hiei are."  
  
Chitsuko opened her mouth to give a rebuttle then stopped, thinking this over. Realizing he was right, she sighed and replied, "Well Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko and the others don't."  
  
"Well you're only half."  
  
The girl scrunched up her nose. "Don't remind me..."  
  
The crow's eyebrow shot up. "What's this? Ashamed of your parentage?"  
  
"No," the kitsune growled, her eyes focused on the snow crunching under her feet. "If I was full youko maybe I'd have enough power to get to Ninegenkai by myself and destroy this Sensui guy..."  
  
Karasu laughed. When the girl shot him an angry look he replied, "You talk about gaining more power when your own is by far stronger than you think it is?"  
  
Chitsuko stopped walking. "What do you mean?"  
  
Karasu stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared down at her, his amythest eyes slightly dilated over his mask. "Surely by now you've learned the composition of your magic...?"  
  
"Uhh..." Chitsuko trailed off and smiled innocently up at him. "Heh heh..."  
  
The crow rolled his eyes. "I see..." When this action was received with a pout from the girl, Karasu cleared his throat and explained. "I'm sure I haven't been the only one to notice how ancient your power is."  
  
"'Ancient'?"  
  
"Yes. Hasn't anyone ever told you how your spirit energy came to be so overwhelming?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"The energy you hold within you is like an energy reserve. There's more in you than there should be, even for an S-class demon..."  
  
"'S-class'?"  
  
"Youkai are placed in classes. Where they are depends on the amount of power they possess. You possess the powers of the S-class, the highest class of youkai. And yet you are not in the S-class... You don't use your power to its full potential. I can tell, you have yet to tap into the core of your very soul and summon the most potent of the spirit energy." He chuckled. "You are living proof that looks can be deceiving..."  
  
Chitsuko blinked, astonished. "Well... how do I use that power?"  
  
"That entirely depends on you," the crow replied. "With the proper experience and training you could harness that power... But..." Karasu looked away from her, his eyes narrowed in thought.  
  
"But what...?"  
  
Karasu sighed. "If Reikai were aware of how strong your power really is, how highly it is concentrated in your body and spirit... They couldn't just let ever S-class youkai roam freely as they please... That's why there's so few of them..."  
  
The girl hugged herself against the sudden chill that swept over the plain. "Then they..."  
  
Karasu turned to look her straight in the eyes. "They would kill you."  
  
Chitsuko looked up into the cold gray sky, the wind whipping her loose hair and trenchcoat around her body. "So... I'm a danger everywhere I go..."  
  
"No!" Karasu said quickly. "No, I didn't mean it that way..."  
  
"I understand..." Chitsuko turned to face the direction of the Sensui Tunnel. The horizon remained gray and dark, almost menacingly so. "It's dangerous for me to control my power. But it's also dangerous to NOT control my power... If Reikai knew that they probably would have sent me here sooner... or worse... And in Ningenkai I'm ten times as dangerous..." She bowed her head. "Not to mention death follows me like my own shadow..." She began to trudge off again, her face to the cold, hard wind. "I never fit it. I'm just not meant for this world, I guess..."  
  
Remorse, sorrow, pain gripped the crow's heart. Why? He thought to himself. Why, of all people in this world, can she make me feel like this...? He watched her retreating form for a minute before dashing after her. What happened to being afraid my loved ones with die? What happened to saving them from a terrible death by doing it myself?  
  
...Why can't I kill her?  
  
"Chitsuko..." Karasu grasped the girl by the arm and turned her around to face him.  
  
Their eyes locked, and for a long moment then stood there, the wind whipping their clothes and hair around them. Neither one could move, their action frozen in a tense silence. Karasu leaned forward, bringing himself closer to her, and Chitsuko's blue-gray eyes widened as the gap between them grew smaller and smaller...  
  
"KOHANAAAAAAAA!"  
  
"Damnit..." Karasu swore under his breath and turned slowly to look into the sky. "Kuronue..." he growled.  
  
The chimera was descending fast, his wings beating frantically against the fierce winds. Chitsuko groaned and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head from side to side to avoid watching Kuronue approach.  
  
At last the winged youkai was on the ground, his hands on his hips and his face and bare arms a raw red from the cold. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" he shouted, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "YOU CRAZY BITCH, YOU HAD US ALL WORRIED TO..."  
  
Kuronue was cut off a several small explosions grazed his feet. He jumped backwards, releasing Chitsuko, who took a few steps back to stand beside Karasu. The chimera glared at the crow, his eyes narrowed almost to slits as he drew his scythe from under his vest.  
  
"It's YOU... You're a terrible influence on her! She's just a kid..."  
  
"EXCUSE ME?!" the girl roared, indignant. "'Just a kid'? 'JUST A KID'?!" Fuming, she held out her hand, grasping her wrist with her other and pointing her index finger at the chimera. "Remember my threat? The one that involves my Spirit Gun and YOUR ASS?!"  
  
"I don't blame you so much as I blame HIM!" Kuronue pointed accusingly at Karasu. "He's teaching you how to use bombs and be all sadistic and creepy!"  
  
"Excuce me...?" It was now the crow's turn to be indignant.  
  
"Oh, Suzuki and the others have told me about the Ankoku Bujutsukkai, you bomb-happy freak..."  
  
"Say that again." A bright green glow emmited from Karasu's hand. "You never learn, do you? Go ahead. Say it."  
  
"You..." Kuronue began, "bomb-... happy... FREAK!"  
  
"THAT'S IT! I WILL TAKE NO MORE FROM YOU!" Karasu raised his hand above his head, a small pulsating sphere of light shining in his palm.  
  
"STOP!" The girl ran between the two youkai and pushed them apart. "You're both such children!"  
  
"Shut up, kid!" the chimera growled.  
  
Chitsuko whirled on him, her eyes narrowed in anger and glittering dangerous, and a sound similar to a snarl escaped from her throat. Kuronue blanched, but didn't have time to carry the fight further.  
  
With a loud cry, a hoard of youkai theives shot towards them like a wave through the cold air. Chitsuko snarled again and braced herself for the attack. Behind her, Karasu and Kuronue did the same. As they got closer, the wind picked up, a distinct, familiar chill settling around the chimera, the crow, and the kitsune.  
  
"Zoutarou..." Chitsuko murmured.  
  
Immediately Kuronue ran forward, swinging his scythe and slicing through the youkai as though they were made of clay. Karasu let fly a shower of small, glowing green bombs. They exploded on impact, black blood squirting everywhere as the theieves bodies were blown to smitherines. Chitsuko leapt into the air and fought head-on with the demons, letting loose a torrent of punches and kicks that dashed out the brains and stomachs of her victims.  
  
As Chitsuko flipped backwards to avoid being skewered on one youkai's sword, she noticed a large mirror shard hanging around his neck on a leather cord. Looking around, she saw that all the demons wore a mirror around their neck. Zoutarou had used mirrors to magnify and reflect his spirit energy when he still had his body. Other demons must be able to use mirrors to manipulate their power as well, she thought. But the last group of demons I fought was strong, and this group isn't even trying to fight back. One of Karasu's bombs exploded to the right of her and she darted to the side, running through a heap of severed limbs oozing black blood onto the white snow.  
  
One particularly large youkai caught her eye. He was fighting Kuronue, and from the looks of it he was winning. The chimera flew about his head, trying to get a good slash at him with his scythe, but the youkai managed to block every one of his attacks. Pinned to the youkai's short brown vest was a circular brooch. A glittering black jewel was set in its center, and strange runes were engraved in a circle around it.  
  
At once she knew what it was. "The Dusk Birth!" Quickly Chitsuko ran forward, fighting her way through a line of demons to get to Kuronue and the ancient artifact.  
  
Karasu turned away from a smoking pile of youkai flesh to see Chitsuko spring onto the large youkai's back. He summoned another bomb to hurl in his directionn then stopped; he could risk injuring, or even killing, Chitsuko. Before he could ponder the subject any further a demon threw himself at him, his sword narrowly grazing the crow's side. Karasu turned his attention back to the remainder of the demons and set his explosives to work.  
  
Meanwhile, the large, ogre-like youkai clawed to get Chitsuko off his back and groped the air for Kuronue at the same time. The chimera swooped down and kicked the demon hard in the head, causing him to stumble slightly. Chitsuko climbed over the ogre-youkai's shoulder and jumped, ripping the Dusk Birth off his vest on the way to the ground. She land swiftly on one knee and was about to call out her Rose Whip when something grabbed her hair and jerked her head towards the ground. With a cry her face was slammed into the cold snow. Rolling onto her back, she discovered that her hair had been pinned to the ground by the monstrous youkai's foot.  
  
"AAAAAAHH! IT'S GOT MY HAIR! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"  
  
"Huh?" Kuronue looked down to see Chitsuko struggling in the snow, her hair caught under the ogre's foot. Not paying attention to where his scythe was swinging, the point of the weapon embedded itself in the big youkai's eye. He bellowed and yanked the scythe out of his ocular, flinging it to the ground. It narrowly missed Chitsuko head, and the girl screamed as the ogre roared again.  
  
Kuronue swooped down and picked up his scythe, stained with black blood. He looked back up at the orge-youkai, who was clawing at his injured eye, then back at Chitsuko on the ground. The youkai wasn't moving, and didn't seem to want to do so anytime soon. Kuronue knew that Chitsuko's Rose Whip could finish him off in a second, whereas his scythe could only riddle him with holes until he bled to death, which would probably take a while.  
  
Without culsulting the girl he stooped down and swung his scythe, hacking off the hair that had been caught on the ogre's foot.  
  
Chitsuko sat up, her hand immediately flying to her hair. The chimera had cut off a good ten or twelve inches, and now her golden waves hung down only to her underarms. Beautiful waist-length hair had been shorn off to end near her shoulder blades. Her eyes widened as she felt the distance from her crown to the ends of her hair.  
  
"Quick, pull out your rose!" Kuronue shouted. "What are you waiting for?"  
  
Chitsuko whimpered. "My hair... My long beautiful hair..."  
  
"SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR FREAKIN' HAIR AND KILL THIS DAMN THING!"  
  
Chitsuko glared at Kuronue as she leapt to her feet and drew out her white rose from underneath her shortened tresses. "ROSE WHIP!" She sprang into the air and lashed out, dicing the demon like a tomato in a matter of seconds. When she was done she fell back, landing on one knee again, her whip still drawn.  
  
"I can't believe you cut my..." The girl stopped short as she was pulled backwards but a forceful wind. The ground below was littered with deceased youkai, and the snow was black with their blood. Weapons and severed limbs littered the ground, and she struggled to ground her feet as the wind dragged her further and further away from her two companions.  
  
"CHITSUKO!" Karasu ran after her, closely followed by Kuronue. The girl was lifted completely off the ground, and she cried out as the winds pulling at her increased. A familiar tingling sensation settled in the pit of her stomach and a pair of clear, pupiless eyes flashed at her through a hazy fog.  
  
"You're mine..."  
  
"CHITSUKO-CHAAAAAAN!"  
  
The familiarity of the voice caused Kuronue and Karasu to look back as they ran. Suzuki, Shishiwakamaru, Rinku, Chuu, Jin, and Touya were running across the plains behind them, not affected in the least bit by the winds. Jin sprang into the air and formed a whirlwind around himself as he flew with the current of the wind carrying Chitsuko away. But suddenly the winds around them stopped and began to press the other way, knocking Jin onto the ground and Rinku flat on his back beside him. Chuu went to help him up as Touya, Shishi, and Suzuki continued to follow the crow and the chimera.  
  
"How could you just run off with her like that?!" Suzuki shouted.  
  
"You don't need to get involved." Karasu's response was colder than the air around them.  
  
"But the least you could have done was asked us to come! We're safer in large groups! Besides, we could get killed by the roaming Shinobi Tribes anyway!"  
  
"No we couldn't," Kuronue said suddenly. "While I was fighting those youkai theives, I learned that they killed one of the tribes hired out to protect the Tunnel. I found Shinobi gem brooches on four of them. Stolen, obviously..."  
  
Touya's icy eyes widened. "But how could they...?"  
  
Chitsuko screamed again, calling everyone's attention back to her. A large portal had opened up behind her, and now it shimmered with wild blue lights. Tendrils of light had crawled out of it, reaching towards the girl. Chitsuko recoiled her whip then lashed out with it. Crossing the remaining distance to it, Karasu grabbed onto the end of whip... and was immediately dragged along with Chitsuko.  
  
"STUPID CROW!" Kuronue flew directly into the winds, the combined forces of his beating wings and the wind current bringing him speeding towards Chitsuko like a bullet. At last he was able to close his arms around the girl and pull her close to him. Her whip morphed back into a white rose and she quickly tucked it back into her now-shorter hair as Kuronue turned around, attemping to fly out of the wind's pull.  
  
With a yell of dismay Kuronue found that he couldn't.  
  
"KURONUE! WATCH..."  
  
Kuronue focused ahead of him just in time to watch Karasu as the wind carried him dangerously close to them. With a loud grunt the crow slammed into the chimera and the kitsune into his arms, and all three were hurled backwards. The blue vines of light wrapped themselves around them and pulled them along the remaining distance between them and the portal.  
  
Chitsuko was violently yanked out of Kuronue's arms and all three youkai struggled against their bonds. The straps of Chitsuko's backpack dug into her shoulders. Kuronue's wings ached as the tendrils of light bound them tightly to his body at an odd angle. Karasu's hair formed a curtain over his face, preventing the crow from seeing as the tendrils snaked along his body and bound his arms to his sides. The kitsune opened her mouth and let out one final blood-curling and anguished scream.  
  
"ZOUTAROOOOOOOOU!"  
  
With a loud crack the portal shrunk and disappeared. The winds on the Makai plain died completely and the murky fog lifted. A stunned Shishi, Suzuki, and Touya lay on the ground in the snow. Jin, Chuu, and Rinku ran to meet them. All six pairs of eyes were glued to the spot in the air where the portal had been. Now, only still, cold air was there, with no trace of the portal in sight.  
  
"Oh Kami..." Jin voice cracked.  
  
"No..." Chuu shook his had in disbelief. "We were too late..."  
  
"What just HAPPENED?!" Rinku cried. Tears were collecting in the young boy's wide eyes.  
  
"He..." Touya looked away and bowed his head. "He got her..."  
  
Shishi's fuschia eyes were twitching, his teeth clenched sorrowfully. "She's gone... Where did he take her? Where did he take her?!" he demanded.  
  
"I don't know..." Suzuki stared sadly ahead of him at the empty, snowy plain. "There is no trace of that portal OR any clues as to wear it will dump the three of them... All we can do now is pray for them..." He bowed his head. "She's at the mercy of the enemy now..."  
  
"NO!" Rinku yelled as he ran forward, ignoring the dead bodies that were strewn around them. "No! Chitsuko!" he sobbed, his tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "CHITSUKOOOOOOO!"  
  
The cry echoed in the empty plain, carrying itself through Yomi's city and reaching the farthest reaches of Makai as a faint whisper. And the five older youkai could only bow their heads in silent, heart-wrenching sorrow and prayer as the young youkai fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, his tears dripping down onto the blood-stained snow. 


	18. Chapter 17 Lost

Chapter 17: Lost  
  
"SON OF A BITCH!"  
  
The unnaturally loud scream echoed throughout the Reikai building. From his desk on the fourth floor, Jorge the oni heard his master's cry and immediately leapt to his feet. He dashed out into the hallway, knocking over several other onis carrying paperwork. The one day he had been granted freedom from attending to King Enma's son the kid went and got himself all riled up...  
  
Jorge rounded a corner and entered the large workroom, at the end of which lay Koenma's office. Everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing and all eyes were focused on the ruler's closed office doors. Another scream erupted from within and Jorge sprinted the remaining distance to the office. He flung the doors open and barrelled inside, expecting to find the worse.  
  
"Koenma-sama! What's wrong? Did you staple-gun yourself again? ...Koenma-sama?" Jorge stopped in the middle of the room.  
  
The toddler was standing on his desk, his hands gripping the sides of his head. His teeth were clenched and the pacifer had fallen out of his mouth and onto the floor. The blue oni reached down, brushed it off and held it out to his master.  
  
"Koenma-sama, you dropped this..."  
  
But the boy did not answer. He moaned in his throat, balled his hands into fists and thrust his finger down onto the button of the speaker on his desk. "AYAME! I NEED ANY AND ALL INFORMATION ON HANYOU KOHANA AND CHITSUKO ICHIHARA, STAT! BOTAN! GET IN HERE NOW, AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE PREPARED TO FLY!"  
  
"Koenma-sama?" Jorge questioned tentatively. "What's going on...?"  
  
Koenma looked at him forlornly and said nothing. A few moments later, Ayame, clutching several thick folders crammed with papers, and Hinageshi hurried into the room, both looking quite flustered and out of breath.  
  
"Ayame?" Koenma said.  
  
The ferrygirl nodded and stepped forward, dumping the folders onto Koenma's desk. "I got all the information I could find, Koenma-sama." She bowed in respect.  
  
The Reikai ruler turned his eyes to Hinageshi. One eyebrow shot up. "Hinageshi? Where is Botan?"  
  
Hinageshi bowed hastily and stammered, "O-Oh, Koenma-sama, she's in Ningenkai, w-with Yusuke and the Reiki Tantei... Remember?"  
  
Koenma thought this over for a second, then nodded. "Oh yes, that's right. She helping them deal with Sensui..." He sighed. "Of all times..."  
  
"Pardon me, Koenma-sama..." Jorge said quickly. "But, why did you yell before? And why did you ask Ayame to bring you information on Chitsuko?"  
  
The toddler hung his head, his eye squeezed tightly shut. "We've lost all trace of her..."  
  
"...What?"  
  
"I SAID WE'VE LOST ALL TRACE OF HER!" the young boy shouted, plopping down onto his desk with a moan. "Her spirit energy AND life energy are nowhere to be found in Makai, and there's no trace of her anywhere in Ningenkai OR Reikai! I should've known she'd go and try to get through the Tunnel..."  
  
"What... What do you mean, Koenma-sama?" Hinageshi asked softly, approaching his desk.  
  
Koenma sighed. "I knew Chitsuko would attempt to get through the Sensui Tunnel to warn Yusuke and the others about Sensui. I can't feel her energy! We can't detect it! It's as though she just disappeared into thin air..." His voice grew quieter. "Or..."  
  
"Or what, Koenma-sama?" Jorge asked solemnly.  
  
"You don't need to say anymore, Koenma-sama..." Ayame took one of the folders in her hands. She looked up at Koenma and Jorge, her eyes filled with compassion. After catching the hopeless look in the Reikai ruler's eyes she began to root through the folder until she found a piece of paper that was stark white, crisp, new and freshly written on. "She apparantly took up residence with one Utsukushi Suzuki..."  
  
"The Beautiful Suzuki?! Oh crap!" Koenma exclaimed. "How did THAT happen?"  
  
"Well," Ayame continued, "She was found by a younger youkai by the name of Rinku, and was taken back to Suzuki's to be cared for after sustaining a serious injury to her arm. Suzuki's house is also home to one Shishiwakamaru and one Chuu. Shortly after Chitsuko-san's arrival they were joined by two Shinobi tribesmen by the names of Jin and Touya. Not too long after that she revived a seemingly deceased youkai that we have discovered to be the ancient Kuronue..."  
  
"KURONUE?!" Koenma jumped to his feet, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. "YOU MEAN THE INFAMOUS THEIF AND YOUKO KURAMA'S PARTNER, KURONUE?!"  
  
Ayame, somewhat startled, nodded slowly. "Yes, we had the same reaction..." She cleared her throat and finished, "Anyway, some time later the youkai known as Karasu joined the group." She looked at Koenma. "As you know, your father rescued his soul in hopes he will prove useful in protecting Chitsuko-san."  
  
The toddler nodded, a sweatdrop rolling down his temple. "I can't believe Father would want to bring a man like HIM back..."  
  
"Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" Ayame replied with a small smile. "He's done only good where Chitsuko-san is concerned..."  
  
"Yes, yes, I know..." Koenma sighed again. "But it's not him that worries me now..." His voice trailed off.  
  
Jorge put a hand on his master's shoulder. The toddler bowed his head, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.  
  
"Hinageshi..." The redheaded girl straightened up. "Since Botan is not here, I need you to relay this message to the Reiki Tantei. I'm sorry to make you the bearer of ill news, but please... You need to tell them... Espeically Kurama... That... that..."  
  
Hinageshi's blue eyes softened. "Koenma-sama...?"  
  
"Is there no other explaination?" Jorge asked desperately. "She can't be gone..."  
  
The toddler shook his head and choked back a whimper. "Tell the Reiki Tantei... that Chitsuko Ichihara... is lost..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
A soft, clear light seeped through the girl's eyelids. She moaned softly and reached up to rub them as she pulled herself into a sitting position. When she opened them, she could hardly believe what she saw.  
  
She was sitting off to one side of a large clearing in the middle of a lush green forest. A small stream trickled by, the sound of water running over pebbles soothing the girl's anxiety. All around her the trees were covered in green leaves and a rainbow of blossoms and fruit, their trunks and branches a glossy chocolate color with new bark. The grass grew thickly and came up to the girl's shoulders when she sat down. Above her the sky was a clear, crystalline blue, with not a cloud in sight.  
  
"Wow..." Chitsuko breathed, reaching up to wipe fresh sweat that trickled down her forehead. With a slight start she realized that the temperature was quite warm. Quickly she shed Karasu's trenchcoat and rolled up the sleeves of her black shirt. Taking up the coat in her arms and adjusting her backpack straps, she stood up, her eyes scanning the clearing for any sign of her two companions.  
  
"Karasu-kun? Kuronue-kun?"  
  
"I'm here..." Kuronue stepped out from behind a tree and popped the last bit of a ripe orange fruit into his mouth. "How long've you been awake?"  
  
"I just got up..." she replied, still taking in her surroundings. "Where are we?"  
  
"I have no idea." The chimera jumped up and plucked two more orange fruits from a nearby branch. He tossed one to Chitsuko, would caught it easily and stared at it for a long moment. "Go ahead, eat it. It won't kill you." The girl shot him a wary look and he chuckled. "Not used to Makai food yet, are you?"  
  
Chitsuko sighed and turned away from him, turning the fruit over in her hands. "How did the weather get so... bright?"  
  
"Don't know that either." Kuronue came to stand beside her, juice running down his chin. "I woke up, and we were all in a heap over there..." he pointed to the center of the clearing, "So I picked you up and brought you over there in the shade. Damn, isn't it hot?"  
  
"Where's Karasu?" Chitsuko asked, ignoring his last question and looking frantically around the clearing.  
  
A loud groan from the middle of the sea of grass answered her question.  
  
With a loud cry of shock she whirled on Kuronue. "You just left him there?!"  
  
Kuronue shrugged and took another large, messy bite of his fruit.  
  
Gritting her teeth, the kitsune flung her own fruit into the chimera's face and ran to the center of the clearing. The orange produce broke open upon inpact and splattered all over the chimera's face. With a sigh he swiped some of its insides off his cheeks, watching Chitsuko run away from him. "What does she see in him...?"  
  
"Karasu-kun?" Chitsuko carefully picked her way through the thick grass until she found her other companion. He was laying on his side with his back to her, one arm wrapped around his stomach. "Karasu-kun, are you alright?"  
  
He groaned in response. The girl knelt down next to him and gently rolled him onto his back. There was a long gash in the crow's side, and it was bleeding profusely. Chitsuko gasped, "Karasu-kun, you're bleeding...!" Lightly, almost tenderly, she brushed her fingertips over the cut. Karasu led out a sharp cry of pain and she recoiled her hand.  
  
"Kuronue!" she shouted. "KURONUE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"  
  
Reluctantly the chimera tramped over. "What?"  
  
"Pick him up and carry him over there." She pointed to the spot under the tree where she had woken up.  
  
"...Fine." Kuronue had the sense not to argue with her; it would be to no avail. He grudgingly hoisted Karasu onto his back and carried him over to the tree. Chitsuko knelt down beside Karasu as Kuronue placed him on the grass and flew up to perch on the branch above them.  
  
"Chitsuko...?" Karasu moaned softly.  
  
The girl smiled. "Yes, it's me... Hold still." She took off her red tunic and began to tear it into one long strip of fabric. Kuronue's eyebrows shot up and he watched in amusement. "You've lost enough blood already..." the kitsune said softly as she wound the cloth tightly around Karasu's waist, making sure to cover the gash completely. "This will prevent you from losing any more..." She tied it into a secure not, then bent down to kiss the cloth over the wound. "Once I find some useful plants I'll be able to make them into a healing potion..."  
  
Karasu chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Chitsuko-chan..." He moved to sit up then grunted; his wound still felt tender.  
  
"Don't move yet... You'll hurt yourself further..." Backing up so that she rested with she was against the tree, Chitsuko gently helped Karasu move back with her. Quite suddenly, the crow leaned back until his head was resting in the kitsune's lap. The girl blushed a bright red and he sighed and closed his eyes.  
  
"This is comfortable..."  
  
"I'm just glad you're alright..." She pushed a few stray strands of inky black hair out of Karasu's face and leaned back against the smooth trunk of the tree, letting her own eyes slide shut. "We'll stay here until you can walk again..."  
  
"Alright..."  
  
Within minutes the two of them were asleep, lulled by the soft breeze and warm sunshine that surrounded them. Up in the tree, Kuronue crossed his arms over his chest and settled against the trunk for a nap of his own.  
  
"I still don't know what the hell she sees in him..." he muttered before pulling down the brim of his torn hat and nodding off himself.  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Chitsuko woke up again she was startled to find that Karasu was still laying in her lap. Looking up, she spotted Kuronue dozing on a branch overhead, the torn brim of his hat over his eyes. With a sigh she gazed around the clearing, once again wondering just where she was.  
  
The sky was beginning to darken, and the setting sun splashed orange, yellow, and pink across the horizon. The light breeze she had felt that morning had now turned into a steady wind, blowing her wavy hair around her face and into her eyes. And to her surprise she found that she was cold. Careful not to disturb Karasu, she slid out from under him and crawled over to her backpack. Fishing out a ribbon she tied her hair into a low ponytail at the back of her neck. Picking up Karasu's trenchcoat, she slid it on and hugged it to herself as she sat alone, her wide, bright eyes blinking in the settling darkness.  
  
She licked her dry lips and her stomach growled. With a start she realized she hadn't eaten anything that day. Pulling herself to her feet, she made her way through the thick grass to the stream running through the clearing. Kneeling down at the water's edge, she scooped some into her hands and bent down to drink... then thought better. She dumped it back into the stream and watched as the cool, clear water rippled over pebbles and rocks.  
  
Chitsuko sighed. She didn't know what this water's effects might be. Hell, she didn't even know where she was.  
  
Chitsuko got up and returned to the tree where her two companions slept. Sitting beside her backpack once again, she fished around inside of it for something to eat. Her hands closed around something long and smooth and she drew it out carefully.  
  
In her hand was the Fruit of the Previous Life Extract she had stolen from Suzuki's workshop.  
  
The girl stared at it for a long moment. What if the potion could help her determine where she was? Maybe, in her youko form, she could sense where they were and how to get home. Maybe... Just maybe...  
  
Carefully, quietly, the girl uncorked the top of the bottle and brought its neck to her lips. She tilted her head back, and a few drops of the bittersweet juice slid down her throat...  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"  
  
A hand reached out and knocked the bottle out of her hands. She fumbled for it, but it was too late; the bottle hit the ground and shattered, the Fruit of the Previous Life nectar splashing everywhere.  
  
Horrified and angry, Chitsuko whirled around to look up into the deep purple eyes of Kuronue.  
  
"You nearly KILLED us the last time you drank that stuff!" the chimera shouted, indignant. "Why the hell do you feel the need to do it again?!"  
  
"Hm?" Karasu stirred, propping himself up on one elbow to look at the two. "What are you yelling at her for now, bat?"  
  
"She drank that stuff again!" Kuronue replied, pointing to the shattered bottle on the ground. "The little sneak probably stole it from Suzuki again. And now she just drank it!"  
  
"Correction," Chitsuko said, trying best to keep herself from punching Kuronue in the face, "I was only able to take a few drops before you knocked it out of my hands..."  
  
"Same thing! That just means you won't be in your sexy youko form as long this time!" Kuronue huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
Karasu chuckled. "Her 'sexy youko form'?" He eyed the chimera with a wry smile. "Why Kuronue..."  
  
Kuronue's cheeks took on a faint pink tinge and he looked down at Chitsuko.  
  
She hadn't heard his words. Now she looked dazed, her expression blank, as thought she were greatly fatigued. She moved to stand up, and she stumbled one she was on her feet, her hand pressed to her forehead.  
  
"I'll be right back..." she murmured, then slowly walked towards the steam and knelt down in front of it. Chitsuko stared down into the crystal-clear waters. Her head began to ache and the world around her had begun to spun. Her stomach began to churn and she scooped up a handful of water to splash on her face...  
  
"Chitsuko-chan?" Karasu called out, pulling himself into a sitting position with a groan. "Are you alright?"  
  
The response was frightening. Kuronue dashed towards the stream with a yell as the girl fell over into the water with a loud splash.  
  
The stream was deeper than it looked. Kuronue jumped in after her, forgetting the liability of his wings as he struggled under the water's surface. Not only was the depth deceiving, but so was the look. While it had looked clear and clean on the surface, below it was dark and murky, disgustingly thick and black. The chimera shut his mouth tight, wary not to swallow the infected water, and shot to the surface once more.  
  
"Chitsuko!"  
  
No answer. He looked around frantically as the stream carried him farther away from where they had been resting. Suddenly a black figure was running along the stream in front of him. Karasu was barely visible in the darkness that had settled upon them as he reached down into the water and scooped up something small and round into his arms.  
  
With much effort, Kuronue swam to the side of the stream. Karasu reached out a hand to help him out, but the chimera refused and struggled onto the bank himself. Panting and feeling slimy from his little swim, he looked over at the crow. Karasu was cradling the thing in his arms, his fingers running over its soft surface as he murmured inaudibly to it.  
  
"What is that?" the chimera crawled over, curiosity getting the better of him. Karasu set the thing down and it immediately sprang to its feet and began to shake, droplets of water spraying everywhere as it dried itself off. Kuronue reached out to touch it, but it rounded on him with a growl.  
  
It was a little fox, no bigger than a pillow but smaller than a grown male fox. Its soft fur was a pale gold, two full, bushy tails swishing lazily in the air behind it. Its legs were long and graceful and its eyes were a sharp, piercing silver.  
  
Kuronue's mouth dropped open. "That's not..."  
  
"...Hanyou Kohana's fox form?" Karasu answered for him. "Of course it is. Who else would it be?" The fox turned and leapt up into Karasu's arms once more, licking his cheek affectionately. The crow smiled beneath his mask. "Playful as always..."  
  
"Wait, if she drank the potion, would she be in her youko form?" Kuronue questioned, obviously confused.  
  
"She drank the Fruit of the Previous Life extract," Karasu replied. "The pure, undiluted nectar of the fruit is stronger than Suzuki's potions. Other ingrediants have been added to them so its effects aren't as strong. This, however..." he motioned to the fox in his arms, "is as far back as the nectar has taken her. She may be in this form for a while..."  
  
Kuronue turned a scowl on the little fox, who blinked innocently up at him. "Baka kitsune..."  
  
Before the crow or the chimera could stop her, the kitsune leapt away from Karasu and sunk her teeth into Kuronue's arm. With a yell he sprang to his feet and shook her off. Kohana landed nimbly on the ground in front of him, her sterling silver eyes shining in the moonlight. She let out a small yip and sat down, her tails swishing behind her.  
  
Karasu openly laughed while Kuronue glared at Kohana, who looked extremely pleased with herself. "And I thought being lost wouldn't be fun..." 


	19. Chapter 18 Broken Darkness

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY for the lack of updates and for keeping you all waiting so LONG! I've just had so much work to do... x.x I doubt I'll be updating again for another week or so... I'm so sorry everybody, but I promise you, the story just gets better from here, you won't be disappointed! =^^=  
  
~Lexi-chan~ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 18: Broken Darkness  
  
"God damn... stupid... TREES!"  
  
Karasu chuckled as he watched the chimera slash away angrily at the offending tree branches. Dark circles hung beneath Kuronue's eyes, a painful sign of his lack of sleep. For the past several nights, the chimera had insisted on staying awake, watching for any sign of Zoutarou and his minions, while Karasu and the little fox slept peacefully, the latter cradled in the former's arms.  
  
In a way in pained Kuronue to see that... But he would never admit it.  
  
At least not out loud.  
  
Kohana was now curled up into a ball of golden fluff in the crow's arms, looking very serene. Her silvery eyes scanned their surroundings and shot a sharp glance in Kuronue's direction every now and then. She had been in her fox form for a few days without any sign of the nectar's effects weakening. The kitsune grew restless and found herself longing for her ningen body once more. She let out a small yip and closed her eyes, settling her head on Karasu's arm.  
  
"We've been in this forest for THREE WHOLE DAYS!" cried Kuronue, stopping to hack at a rather thick branch with his scythe. "Where the hell are we, anyway?"  
  
Karasu shrugged. "Perhaps... Well..."  
  
"Don't know, do ya, Bomb Boy?"  
  
"Watch it..."  
  
The chimera rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say. You're the one cuddling up to Chitsuko, you pedophile..."  
  
Kohana's ears twitched.  
  
"Pedophile? Look who's talking. You're older than I am... Come to think of it SHE'S older than both of us..."  
  
Kuronue was still.  
  
Karasu grinned beneath his mask. "Got you."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Shut up..." Kuronue's hands clenched into fists, his back to Karasu. "You don't know anything. You have no way of knowing..."  
  
"I can see it plain as day," the crow shot back, his amethyst eyes narrowing. "You've developed feelings for our dear little kitsune..."  
  
"Don't think I haven't seen the way YOU look at her, too!" The chimera whirled on him, his face scrunched in anger. "You look for any possible excuse to touch her, and God knows what's going on in that sick little perverted mind of yours!"  
  
Karasu's eyes slid shut and he walked past Kuronue. "Quiet. Kohana might wake..."  
  
"THEN LET HER WAKE, DAMNIT! IT'S ABOUT TIME SHE REALIZED WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"  
  
A low sound, bordering between a growl and a whimper, issued from the supposidly sleeping fox.  
  
Karasu stopped walking. His glittering eyes snapped wide open. "Kohana-chan...?"  
  
The sound escaped her throat again and she was out of Karasu's arms and out of sight before either male youkai could react. Kuronue darted in the direction of her departure, his feet pounding on the forest floor. With a loud, exasperated sigh, Karasu followed, his heart now gripped with anxiety.  
  
"I told you to be quiet..."  
  
"It's not my fault you talk so loud, you freak..."  
  
"That's IT!"  
  
The ground at Kuronue's feet exploded and the chimera was hurled into the air. He slammed upwards into a web of tree branches, their rough bark scratching his skin. With a yell he struggled to compose himself before he hit the ground, beating his wings steadily to keep him from falling. Upon doing so he found them to be sore, and a sharp pain near his shoulder blade nagged him when he flapped his left wing. Kuronue looked down at Karasu, who expressed no sign of having attacked, a look of indifference on the crow's face.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"Nice to know the feeling is mutual." Karasu darted away, following Kohana's trail once more.  
  
"You bastard!" Kuronue shouted, swooping down on him. In one fluid motion his scythe was out and the blade had dug into Karasu side. With a loud cry the crow fell to his knees, clutching his reopened wound as blood began to trickled Chitsuko's makeshift bandages and seep through his fingers.   
  
Amethyst eyes glittered dangerously in the settling darkness, locking on Kuronue with wild malice. "You damn bat..."  
  
"Hm." Tossing his head in a gesture of satisfaction and triumph, the chimera cast one last glanced back at Karasu and flew off into the blackness that had begun to seep between the trees, announcing the coming of night.  
  
Karasu slammed his fist into the ground and squeezed his eyes shut. Kuronue would almost certainly find the kitsune first, and of course that might lead to...  
  
He had to find her first... before the situation got any worse than it did...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Soft furry feet pounded the ground. Two bushy tails flowed gracefully in the air as Kohana pelted through the trees, her silvery eyes focused ahead of her. Where she was going, she had no idea, no desire to know. All she could think of was getting away from the two youkai, away from all the complications and confusions of being in their company...  
  
Nimbly the little fox leapt around knarled tree roots and bushels of prickers. The farther she ran, the closer together the trees grew, the thicker the darkness. The kitsune steeled herself and quickened her already frantic pace.  
  
What are you afraid of? There is no reason behind your fear... no explaination... She silently scolded herself as she circled the base of a giant oak tree, its roots hideously deformed and protruding from the earth...  
  
...And found herself in complete and total darkness.  
  
Kohana strained her eyes, but even her sharp youko senses couldn't pick up any trace of light. She couldn't even see her paws in front of her. She opened her mouth to call for help, but her yip was caught in her throat as a chill swept through her.  
  
She was alone. Utterly alone.  
  
Now, of all times, she regretted leaving Karasu and Kuronue's company.  
  
She sat herself down, only to discover that the ground was cold and hard, a subtle change from the lush carpet of grass she had been treading on for the past several days. What had caused her surroundings to change so fast?  
  
A slow, sick feeling bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. It began as nausea, then spread to her limbs and up into her head, where it seeped into her brain. She found it hard to keep her eyes open and even harder to sit up. With a sigh the fox slumped over onto her side...  
  
She was changing back into Chitsuko.  
  
Of all times...! The kitsune struggled with her being, but it was no use. Paws became hands and feet, tails and ears vanished, and limbs lost their fur and became enlongated. In a matter of seconds, Chitsuko Ichihara was sprawled on the forest floor in the kitsune's place, tears leaking out of her eyes, devoid of their usual bright glimmer.  
  
Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she looked around. Her stomach growled suddenly and she instinctively shifted to remove her backpack. With a start and a groan of dismay she realized that she didn't have it with her, that Karasu and Kuronue still had it with them. Angrily she punched the hard soil, a few shallow scratches appearing on her knuckles.  
  
But she still had one thing...  
  
Carefully, she reached underneath her shirt and removed a small piece of paper that had been tucked away in the cup of her bra. She unfolded it and smoothed it out on her thigh before holding it up to her face. She squinted long and hard, but still the image remained behind the barrier of darkness. Instead she ran her fingertips over the photograph as small tears formed in the corners of her eyes.  
  
It was the picture of her and Kurama, both of them happy and carefree.  
  
"If anything survives this nightmare..." she murmured, the darkness stifling her words, "...it will be... my..."  
  
She never finished her prayer. Chitsuko dropped down onto her side once more and let languid sleep take her, the picture clutched tightly to her heart.  
  
In the still, suffocating darkness, a pair of transparent eyes watched the girl intently...  
  
* * * * *  
  
"I'm sorry... Wherever you are, I'm sorry..." Kuronue continued his panicked flight. He had left the forest and was now skirting the edges of a wide lake. Its waters shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight, small patches of its surface flickering into darkness as clouds rolled across the sun's path. "She couldn't have run this far... could she?"  
  
The chimera halted in midair and turned to look back at the forest he had just left...  
  
It was no longer there.  
  
Kuronue blanched, his wings gave out and he fell down several feet onto his backside. "I haven't been flying for more than ten minutes!" he cried as he rubbed his abused rump. "How could I have gone so far...?"  
  
He turned to look out across the lake. The water looked clear and cool, a sea of ultramarine comfort. The chimera licked his lips, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was...  
  
Crawling to the edge of the lake, he reached down and scooped up some of the bright liquid in his cupped hands. He watched it slide through his fingers and drip to the ground, his reflection melting out of sight as his hands were left damp and empty. He bent over again and cupped his hands tighter together, bringing forth a small pool of unwavering water in his second attempt. He brought his hands to his lips, eagerly awaiting the taste of the water...  
  
Exhaustion pounded at his brain. His limbs stung from the rush of cold wind biting at his flesh as he flew, his wings ached from beating so frantically for so long. The water splashed through his fingers as he hands dropped to the ground.  
  
"I haven't slept properly... in a while..." he murmured to himself as he lay himself down at the water's edge. "A few minutes... won't hurt..."  
  
The sounds of his light snores drifted across the surface of the lake, through a cluster of large bubbles that had begun to well up in its center...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karasu, unable to take it anymore, removed his trenchcoat and wiped his forehead with it.  
  
It was unbearably hot. It seemed like an eternity since he last left the forest... which, he noted, had disappeared just as quickly and mysteriously as Kuronue and Kohana had done. Now he was stranded in the middle of what appeared to be a desert, sand dunes rising on either side of him like monstrous hills of dusty gold. The sun was beating down on him mercilessly, causing sweat to trickle down his face and lower back, matting his long dark hair to his forehead.  
  
The crow grumbled and tossed his trenchcoat to the ground, leaving it in the sand as he walked away. He turned to look back at his trail of footprints, now stretching over the hills and out of sight in a straight, narrow path...  
  
"Why couldn't I PROTECT HER?!"  
  
In an uncharacterisically loud cry of frustration, the crow hurled a sphere of green light into the side of a dune. Quickly he turned his face away, holding an arm up to shield his face from the expectant shower of sand.  
  
Something hard and sharp hit his head, followed by several more. Confused, Karasu turned to see what had hit him, and immediately suffered having two of the objects slice across his cheek just below his right eye. With a grunt he reached out and caught one of the objects just as a hurricane of them rained around him and a sharp pain shot through his hand. He brought the object to his face and gasped, amethyst eyes wide.  
  
Embedded in his palm was a good-sized, razor sharp piece of glass.  
  
Karasu plucked the offending shard from his hand and turned it over, wiping the blood of its shiny surface with one finger. A pair of shimmering violet eyes stared back at him...  
  
...His eyes...  
  
And then it dawned on him.  
  
The glinting objects that strewn the sand around him weren't made of glass.  
  
They were broken fragments of a mirror.  
  
"Now I understand..." The crow reached back around to the nape of his neck and closed his eyes. "Now I know where we are..." There was a rustle of fabric and a soft stirring of the sand at his feet as his mask fell to the ground. He opened his mouth and at once there was a rush of air as the crackling power in the atmosphere surrounding him entered his body, seeping into his blood and coursing through his limbs like the fire of passion. His hair was picked up off his shoulders and in a flash had turned a brilliant shade of gold, a hyper-glow blonde. But his eyes remained a deep, glittering amethyst, shining with new understand and hope...  
  
...And anger...  
  
Karasu held his hands away from his body and let go of his power in one massive explosion that rocked the world around him.  
  
Dunes, sand, and sun fell away to reveal an ocean of black. Karasu's surroundings shattered into millions of pieces of broken mirrors, each one capturing the look of mixed resolve and shock on his face as he plummeted down, down into the darkness that opened up around him...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kuronue woke just as the ground gave way beneath them and dozens of cuts opened up along his body. He felt himself falling, and he frantically began to beat his wings. It was utterly useless, for no sooner had he begun to pump his bat-like wings than a cold, clammy presence engulfed him, binding his limbs and wings to his body. The chimera struggled against the invisible bonds as his vision went black and he free-fell through the hole in the earth...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko rolled over onto her back and her eyes snapped open. The loud crash of shattering glass pulled her from her enchanted sleep and alerted her senses to the eminent danger that awaited her. Not wanting to embrace the waking world, she quickly shut her eyes again, only to enhance her sense of hearing as the crashing sound grew louder. She opened her eyes again and looked to one side. The spot where she lay on the ground had begun to crack and fall away, and like a domino effect the trees and vegetation around her had begun to slowly break apart as well, starting at the roots and ending at the highest branch. The girl held her breath, her eyes wide, as she watch the last solid part of the world around her snap.  
  
At once the darkness of the forest gave way to a thicker darkness. The pressure of the ground at her back left her and Chitsuko felt herself falling. She reached out with her power but sensed no trace of solid ground beneath her. She opened her mouth and let out a forlorn, helpless cry as she plundged downwards, millions of twinkling, glinting lights swirling around her and pricking her hopeless body as the darkness took her... 


	20. Chapter 19 The Race Begins

Thank you, revolutionizing busdrivers. ^^ Thanks to a strike at the local bus company, I've had half days all week, which means I get time to write, and possibly... dare I say... pump out TWO chapters this week?! I hope because Revival is nearing its end, and I'm almost done with the planning phases of the next saga, Liability, featuring the return of everyone's favorite three-eyed fire demon and his half-mechanical "mistress"... ^^;; Enjoy!  
  
~Lexi-chan~  
  
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Chapter 19: The Race Begins  
  
All at once, Chitsuko stopped.  
  
Her fall halted abruptly, although she was still surrounding by total darkness. Desperately she tried to calm her racing heart, and once she had gained full control of her senses and relaxed her nervous body she recognized a slight pressure at her back. Daring this strange world to defy her, she turned around. In a quick jerking motion that nearly made the girl sick, the darkness seemed to straighten itself out. Instead of being pressed up against an invisible wall, she was lying on her stomach on an invisible floor. Tentatively she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked around.  
  
To her dismay, there was no sign of light.  
  
Chitsuko got shakily onto her feet and swore. Running her hands down her arms and legs, she found that her shirt and pants had been completely demolished in the fall. Warm blood trickled through dozens of scratches and broken bruises. Chitsuko's first though was to discard her ruined clothing and change into something clean from her backpack... Then she remembered that her backpack wasn't with her. Angrily she stomped her foot and gritted her teeth.  
  
"This SUCKS! ...Ow!" It felt like a bee had just stung her in the arm. Quickly she grabbed at the spot where she felt the prick, and something small and sharp fell into her hand. Running her fingers of its surface, she found it to be smooth, but since there was no light around her she could not determine what it was...  
  
A yell split the silence and suddenly she felt a presence very near her. She turned around and sprinted forward two paces before her foot caught under something and she fell forward onto something soft. Moving her hands off the strangely-smooth ground, her fingers brushed against something soft. She slid one hand up and along a filmy, rubber-like thing that twitched in the darkness...  
  
"Kuronue?" Chitsuko bent his wing gently and a loud cry issued from the chimera. "Ack! Sorry..." Gingerly she set the wing back in place and felt around under her digits ran through his ponytail. "Are you alright?"  
  
Kuronue didn't answer.  
  
"What happened to you? Where did you go?"  
  
Still no answer.  
  
Chitsuko closed her eyes and sat back on her knees. "Kuronue-kun, I'm sorry I..."  
  
"It's okay. Don't say anymore..." She felt the chimera stir slightly, and his hand rubbed her forearm comfortingly. Through the darkness, a small smile played across her face.  
  
A great powerf flooded around her, nearly sending her into another panic. A hand rested on her shoulder from behind and she screamed, whirling around and raising her leg into the air to kick her attacker. The same hand caught her leg and another reached out to close thin fingers around her wrist. She was jerked forward and the other hand let go of her leg to take her free one. She froze, confused and scared in the unnaturally-thick darkness, unable to do anything as her hands were brought forward and a pair of lips kissed her palms.  
  
"Karasu?"  
  
The power pulsed briefly, and Chitsuko reached out to touch her companion. Her hands cuped his bare chin and she felt his lips brush her fingertips once more.  
  
"You're not wearing your mask..." This didn't feel like Karasu. The crow's power had always been strong, but now... Now it blazened around her, inside of her, seemingly even in the air she breathed.  
  
"I felt it was a bit too... restraining," the crow answered, his voice softer than usual.  
  
"Why do you wear it anyway?"  
  
"The mask prevents my power from seeping inside of me, thus making me even more dangerous than usual. It hinders my abilities, and thus I can touch people without harming them more effectively in that manner. But now that my mask is off..." Something welled up inside his heart and his power throbbed once more.  
  
Chitsuko recoiled hastily.  
  
Again something within Karasu began to ache. Since he had met the Toguro brothers, he had learned that everything, no matter how beautiful it may be, grows old and dies. Many a night the crow had pondered this fact while he was alone, with nothing to see his terrible thoughts but the moon and stars above. In a pact with himself of resolution and determination, he vowed never to let anything he loved die. This mission, once innocent and somewhat childish, had eventually developed into a fetish for blood and massacism. Toguro Ototo and his brother Aniki had kept him on his toes, forcing him to become stronger and build his power, all out of a desire to kill them. But as his power grew, so did his desire to see his loved ones safe, and the only way to keep them safe from dying was to kill them... himself. For a long time he was blinded by this need and forgot all else, save his murderous thoughts aimed at the devilish Toguro brothers. He could think of nothing else, and even while in Hell for that short period of time he had dreamed of what he couldn't accomplish while fighting Kurama in the Ankoku Bujutsukkai...  
  
...Oh, that beautiful fox...  
  
And now, sitting in front of him, was another, all golden beauty and saccarine in his eyes. She was just as beautiful as him, if not moreso. She possessed all the great power of Youko Kurama and possibly more, hidden away where she didn't dare tap into it. She had grown to trust him, befriend him, care for him... And now, almost a year later, he had followed her into her a death trap planned specifically for her, all for her sake...  
  
He loved her. He wanted to protect her from death. He wanted to save her from that horrible fate...  
  
But he couldn't bring himself to ignite his bombs within her.  
  
How he loved to touch her face, watch her smile, hear her laugh! When she was happy, all the pain and fear he had even known seemed to melt away into nothing. She had a rare gift of spreading joy. It was in her nature. This was no coercive magic that could alter the moods of both ningen and youkai alike. This was a unique talent that allowed her to share her joy, her sorrow, her feelings with the people around her. And the people around her would willingly tune themselves to her, the bright little ray of sunshine that she was.  
  
But then... why couldn't he kill her?  
  
And then it dawned on him.  
  
He loved her too much.  
  
Karasu had never loved someone too much. In fact, he had gotten pleasure, an empty thrill out of hearing the final screams of his victims as his bombs decimated their bodies. But no empty thrill would come from her death, no sigh of pleasure, no smile of joy...  
  
She was far too close to him.  
  
And a second revelation hit him like a sack of bricks, and he reeled slightly as his eyes searching blindly in the darkness for any sign of her figure.  
  
She had been the first person he had let into his heart after the Toguro brothers enslaved him. All those others he had killed were not people he truly loved. Perhaps it was merely infatuation, or he merely liked their looks. But when he looked back on all of them, not one seemed to be able to fit in Chitsuko's place. Now he understood why he had willingly followed her from peril to peril, why he had sacrificed his own soul to save her and Kurama, and why King Enma intervened on his behalf and gave him both body and soul back, just so he could return to Chitsuko's side... Had King Enma seen through Karasu's heart and recognized what was there?  
  
Did he know how much he cared for her?  
  
Did he know how much he loved her?  
  
"Chitsuko..." he murmured, moving forward and reaching out for her again.  
  
"Over here." She was a few feet away now, helping Kuronue up. The chimera groaned and whimpered as the girl gently toyed with his wing. "I think it's broken, Kuronue."  
  
"No, really?" was the sarcastic retort. The chimera folded his arms across his chest and huffed, "Where the hell are we NOW?"  
  
As if in answer, a steady wind pressed at them through the darkness, it wove around them and whistled, as though it were passing around sharp curves and sliding across smooth surfaces. To the companions' surprise, a small light came with the wind, riding it as it swirled around them and slowly began to illuminate their surroundings.  
  
Chitsuko choked.  
  
All around them, smoothe, glassy mirrors stretched upwards and far beyond their vision. Their junctures were smooth, as though they were all connected into one colossal glass that twisted around them like tendrils of ivy. Dozens of copies of the three youkai stared back at them, all looking in a different direction, each wearing the same terrified and awe-struck look at the original. Looking down, they discovered that the floor was also a mirror. The girl stared down and read the fear and blind panic shining in her reflection's eyes.  
  
"Mirrors..." Kuronue breathed. He looked over at Karasu and his orchid eyes bulged when he saw his hair. "Your... your..."  
  
"Karasu-kun, what the...?"  
  
"It comes with the power." Karasu waved off the question and crawled over to Chitsuko and Kuronue, making sure he could make a quick grab at the girl if it became necessary.  
  
"Finally, some visitors! You're the first visit my new home. Welcome. It will be a miracle if you ever find your way out..." The voice slid into their ears, and the girl cried out and spun around to view its source.  
  
But she already knew whose voice it was.  
  
Floating a little ways away, several feet off the ground, was the ghost of Zoutarou himself. He wore the same black robe and white sash he had been wearing when Kurama and Chitsuko had destroyed his earthly body nearly a year and a half ago. His feet were bare and his hand poked through the ends of his flowing sleeves. His long back hair hung messily in his eyes in the front, the longer length of it tied into a low ponytail at the back of his neck. And those eyes were still a clear as water, glinting maliciously in the slowly dawning light.  
  
Chitsuko grasped Kuronue's shoulders, her eyes wide with frantic terror. The chimera squirmed uncomfortably as her nails dug into his skin, but did nothing to remove them.  
  
"Hanyou Kohana, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" The ghost, which was actually quite solid-looking, floated downwards until he was only a few inches from the mirrored floor. A broad grin spread across his face and his colorless eyes flashed.  
  
"I will not give you their names. I will not risk you stalking more of my friends," Chitsuko growled, summoning up as much courage as she could. It still wasn't enough to keep her from trembling like a lone leaf on the branch of a tree in the dead of winter.  
  
Zoutarou quirked an eyebrow. "But I should very much like to know who I'm about to kill. Otherwise there will always be this nasty little nagging in the back of my mind, taunting me that I never found out my poor victims' names..." The concern was fake and dripping with scorn.  
  
The kitsune's blue-gray eyes grew bright, a sign that her emotions were beginning to flare and her spirit energy would be doing so as well very soon. "I will not let you kill them."  
  
"It is not a question of what you will or will not let me do, Kohana," he replied smoothly. "The question is... what I will or will not let YOU do..." The evil smile fixed itself back on the dead youkai's face.  
  
Kuronue frowned. "I hate riddles."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Karasu inquired, moving closer to Chitsuko.  
  
Zoutarou chuckled. "I thought the brilliant Karasu would be more adept than this..."  
  
"I thought you didn't know their names!" Chitsuko cried.  
  
"I lied," he said simply, winking at the girl and causing her to choke on her digust. "I've been watching you for quite some time now, Kohana. Ever since you left Ningenkai. I thought you, too, might see past the simple beauty of my own little world here..." He motioned to the mirrors around him.  
  
"'Your own little world'? What the hell do you mean?!" Kuronue shouted.  
  
Those clear eyes seemed to roll upwards, then downwards again, in silent annoyance at the chimera. "I have created everything around you. I can make them do anything, reflect anything, become anything. They hold my power, reflect my power, and are made of my power..."  
  
"But you were so weak!" Chitsuko cried. "When Kurama and I fought you, you were weak! You used your mirrors to magnify your own spirit energy and enhance your power!"  
  
"Ah, yes, but back then, I had given away most of my power into my pathetic little creations. I believe you came to befriend the one named Kai..."  
  
Chitsuko caught on to a fading glimpse of a memory. She remembered how Kai, Zoutarou's proudest demon hunter, had exploded in a burst of blood and pain and crumpled into a pile of ash on the floor. He had been a creation of Zoutarou, merely a drop of his power personified with the help of his enchanted mirrors. Kai had no soul nor will of his own, but in his final hours had managed to break the hold his master had bound him with and save Chitsuko and Kurama from a similar fate. He had given his "life" so they could be free.  
  
But now she wasn't quite sure she would own hers much longer.  
  
"How to we get out of here?" Kuroune was on his feet, his broken wing hanging crooked behind him. Chitsuko and Karasu both got to their feet quickly, Chitsuko bracing the chimera.  
  
"Do you honestly think I'd tell you?" Zoutarou laughed. "You have to figure THAT out for yourselves!" And with another burst of insane laughter, the apparition vanished.  
  
"NO!" Chitsuko shouted, letting go of Kuronue and darting forward. "You can't get away that easily! I won't let you exist... Not while you can still hurt my friends, YOU BASTARD!" In a desperate rush of bravery, courage, and determination, she launched herself forward, sprinting between a long, narrow hallway of mirrors, her two reflections speeding alongside her.  
  
"Not AGAIN!" Kuronue cried in dismay as he ran after her, his broken wing swinging lifelessly where it bent. Karasu joined him, his amythest eyes fixed on her retreating form as he dashed towards the opening in the hall of mirrors.  
  
BANG.  
  
The two youkai slammed into the glass and tumbled backwards, Kuronue's wing twisting painfully beneath his and Karasu's weight. Qucickly the crow got back on his feet and held his hands outwards towards the opening.  
  
There was no opening. It was a solid wall of glass.  
  
Karasu and Kuronue watched helpless as Chitsuko ran farther and farther away from them, disappearing into the shimmering hallway. Kuronue pounded on the glass, frantic. Somewhere nearby, Zoutarou's maniacal laughter resounded through the maze, echoing like the continous shatter of breaking glass.  
  
"Like I said, the question is what I will or will not let YOU do!" His voice sounded pleased and overly-excited.  
  
"If you think I'm going to stand around and watch her slip into your hands again, YOU'RE WRONG!" Kuronue turned and ran through the mirrors to the right of the hallway, hoping to find a passageway linking to it and, eventually, a shortcut to Chitsuko. The chimera rounded a bend and was gone before Karasu could call his name.  
  
With a sigh Karasu made to follow him, then stopped short when his knee hit solid glass. This passage had been suddenly blocked off too. It was as if the mirrors had a mind of their own and could choose who passed through them and who didn't, what they reflected and what the beholder would see in their mysterious shimmering depths.  
  
No, it wasn't the mirrors that were alive. It was Zoutarou's will.  
  
Growling in this throat, Karasu took a path to the left of the hallway, his mind focused on finding Chitsuko and Kuronue before it was too late. Once they had been reunited, they would destroy Zoutarou and find a way out of this labyrinth of shiny death. He turned around to look back at the way he had come, but the mirrors had closed in on him, and now a solid wall showed his reflection, his clothes torn and his blonde hair touseled. He glared at the mirror then sped off down the corridor, the glass on either side of him sloping outwards with every step he took.  
  
Zoutarou's voice sounded in the deadly labyrinth above their heads, cackling and hooting with amusement. "The race for the life of Hanyou Kohana and the Reiki Tantei has begun!" 


	21. Chapter 20 The Labyrinth of Illusions

With any luck I'll be able to finish this story in the next two weeks! TWO WEEKS, guys! There's about 3 or 4 chapters left in Revival, and Saga 4: Liability may have a little over 20 itself. ^^ As for Saga 5: Rememory... I'm not even counting right now. THAT will be a doozy, and possibly the most complicated and heart-wrenching out of the entire Kokitsune series.  
  
And now, the race through Zoutarou's deadly labyrinth of mirrors and illusions... Will this be the end of the chimera, the crow, and, possiby, the kitsune...?!?!  
  
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Chapter 20: The Labyrinth of Illusions  
  
Kuronue vaulted himself into the air and beat his wings, only to fall back down on his feet with a loud cry. His had temporarily forgotten that his wing was broken, but now the pain nagged him worse than ever. He tried hoisting himself above the mirrored floor with his good right wing, but it was no use. The chimera continued down the hallway on foot, his heart pounding heavily in his ears as his mind raged with wild emotion and fear.  
  
You have to find her! If he gets to her first, he'll kill her!  
  
He clenched his teeth and hands as he rounded a corner in the hallway. The corridor of shimmering glass seemed to become narrower and narrower the faster he ran. He slowed down his pace, but only slightly; the thought of Zoutarou getting his hands on Chitsuko made the blood boil in his veins.  
  
"If you touch her..." he murmured aloud in case Zoutarou was listening, "I'll kill you again... and again... and again..."  
  
A light laugh resounded above his head, the familiar sound akin to the tinkling of broken glass causing him to look up. The chimera ran two more steps before his foot plunged through the floor and he fell forward through the frame of mirror. As he slid into the glass, a terrible, piercing cold drifted up his body. He reached out to grab hold of the sides of the mirror, and to his utter dismay his hands slipped through it as though it were an illusion.  
  
This whole dimension in an illusion, he thought as the cold darkness swallowed him whole.  
  
Kuronue thrashed wildly, the cold stinging his bare arms and chest. It seeped through his leggings and shoes and his legs began to go numb. The cold was so unbareable it was all he could think about, as though the black, biting cold was all he ever knew...  
  
He opened his mouth to scream and nearly choked when water entered his lungs. Shocked and confused, he kicked his legs frantically, propelling himself upwards. A few moments later his head broke the surface of the water and breathed in the cool air of the atmosphere.  
  
After a moment of treading water and breathing deeply, the chimera examined his surroundings. He was in the same lake he had slept by earlier, except that the sky was now a dark, stormy gray instead of a clear, soft blue. The surface of the lake was no longer shimmering and smooth, but choppy and dark, and very uninviting. Kuronue grimaced and shivered, then floated onto his stomach and began to swim for shore.  
  
"Great, I'm back where I started from..." he mumbled. "This couldn't get any worse, now could it?"  
  
The chimera immediately regretted his words.  
  
A long, slimy tentacle wrapped around Kuronue ankle. Before he could cry out in protest or take another breath he was dragged beneath the water, his broken wing throbbing as the water rushed by and bent it at an odd angle. The chimera tugged at the disgusting thing around his ankle. A second later, one arm and his other leg were bound by two more tentacles. All three were covered in suction cups that made his skin crawl wherever they touched him.  
  
The chimera squinted through the darkness to see what had grabbed him, and nearly choked on water again.  
  
Two monstrous black eyes, entirely pupil, stared back at him. They were side in a wide, flat oval head that turned up around the ends like a frilly collar. Ten long, slimy tentacles protruded from the equally oval body beneath it. A glistening, black hide was stretched like rubber skin over the entire creature, and two large nostrils sat on the front of the head, just before the eyes.  
  
Water stirring before those two great nostrils and a stream of tiny bubbles rose to the surface. Then, quite suddeny, the monster opened its previously invisible mouth to reveal rows and rows of stained, razor-sharp teeth.  
  
It's a kraken! Kuronue realized, frantically struggling against the creature's hold. This only encouraged the monster to tighten its grip and drag Kuronue closer to him.  
  
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Kuronue shouted, his voice muffed by the water, as he drew out his scythe with his free hand. Swiftly, he swung the sharp weapon through the water and stung one greasy tentacle close to its body. The tentacle twitched violently and released one of the chimera's legs as a thin thread of black blood seeped into the water.  
  
The chimera grinned and swung again. This time, the kraken seized the chimera's free wrist, causing him to drop the scythe. It drifted through the water to land on the flat forehead of the monster. It didn't seem to notice this as it closed the distance between itself and the chimera.  
  
Those sharp and yellowed teeth moved up and down, and Kuronue caught a glimpse into the monsters black throat, deep and shadowed, a cave into the point of no return...  
  
This is the end, the chimera though as those jaws came closer. His body was numb and his lungs were screaming for air. I won't get out of here... I'm sorry Kohana... Chitsuko... I can't save you....  
  
Suddenly the chimera glimpsed his shining scythe, little more than a few yards away from him. If only he could just break free, if only he could...  
  
No! I can't give up now! Resolute, he steeled his entire body for his next move. I'll find a way out of here. I find you again, Chitsuko. I won't let you die...  
  
...I won't let Zoutarou win...  
  
Kuronue ripped his legs out of the kraken's grip, and just as he could smell the beast's putrid breath his kicked on, striking it hard in the nose with his foot. The kraken let out a loud shriek and let go of Kuronue as it moved its tentacles to rub its abused nose. Kuronue used the destraction to swim out of the kraken's vision and make his way around the back its head to his scythe. Setting his feet down on the kraken's skull, he braced the weapon in his hands, his eyes fixed on the back of those two bulbous eyes. They were whirling madly in the monster's head, trying desperately to find the winged snack that had wiggled out of its grasp...  
  
Kuronue darted forward and plunged the scythe into one of those irisless eyes.  
  
The kraken shrieked with agony, a ceaseless sound that made Kuronue clamp his hands over his sensitive pointed ears. Quickly he retrieved his weapon, cause more black blood to pour out into the water and stain it an even darker shade. Amidst all the blood and slimy skin, small shards of broken mirrors floated out into the water as small cracks began to appear all along the top of the beast. Satisfied, Kuronue kicked off the kraken's head and kicked his arms and legs frantically, shooting upwards like a torpedo to the surface.  
  
At last cool air filled his lungs and he cough and choked and sputtered until he had breathed his fill. The sky above the lake had gotten darker, almost black, and there were small, soft twinkling lights among the clouds.  
  
"His mirrors..." Kuronue breathed. "This whole dimension is made of his mirrors. Nothing is truly real..."  
  
He was cut off again as another slimy tentacle slid up his leg, and he inhaled deeply before he was dragged under once more, bracing his scythe for his second attack...  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So much for eloping to find Sensui..."  
  
Karasu was having problems of his own. He had been running for what seemed like an hour, and still there was no sign of a way out of the corridor. The mirrored walls on either side of him had begun to slope gently outward until the corridor was wide enough for a herd of elephants to get through. But still Karasu continued, the thought of Chitsuko keeping him from giving up.  
  
I've got to save her, he thought. She needs me now more than ever...  
  
His legs and lungs crying for a break, Karasu stopped. The mirrors in the hallway were reflecting each other, each one creating another long hallway of mirrors that seemed to continue for miles. The crow strided to one side of the hallway and pressed his hand against that of his reflection. He looked tired, worn out, and there was a hint of fear in his glittering eyes. In truth, he was exhausted, but he wasn't about to abandon his mission now...  
  
An explosion sounded off to his left.  
  
Quickly the crow whirled around, his power already crackling in response to his tension, ready to create his bombs. But instead of seeing a pile of shattered glass, he saw only mirrors, unbroken and shimmering in the glassy light. However, one mirrors was not glinting in the erie glow. It held the image of a dark night sky, devoid of stars and moon. Below the ominous sky lay a vast stretch of sandy hills separated by deep trenches and ravines.  
  
Karasu's eyes widened. It was the same desert he had been lost in not too long ago...  
  
Suddenly the floor lurched beneath his feet, tilting upwards and towards the image in the mirror. Expecting to crash into the glass, the crow put his hands out to stop the collision. But instead of feeling the cool surface of the mirror, he felt a rush of cold air as he began to fall, and the sandy desert ground came closer and closer...  
  
A moment later he was rolling down one of the hills, desperately grappling with the sand to stop his tumbling. At last he skidded to a halt near the bottom of the sandy mountain, completely covered with the stuff. Karasu shook his head to remove it from his hair and spit out a lagre quantity of the dry grains. Wiping his sandy forehead with an equally sandy hand, he looked upward towards where the mirrors had been.  
  
There was no sign of them. The hallway had vanished, and he had been dumped into a chilly dark world inhabited by gigantuan dunes of sand.  
  
Karasu got to his feet, shaking out of his legs and arms and brushing the sand off his clothing. He was back here, in the unknown environment outside of the labyrinth, with no sign of anyone or anything else but the sand. He cursed to himself and started out at a run across the dirty bowl at the bases of the dunes, trying not to let the unstablility of the ground beneath his find hinder his progress.  
  
Another explosion rocked the dunes. This time he felt a brunt of the blast as he was flung forward and sand rained down on him.  
  
Quickly he got to his knees, only to be throw backwards by another blast. He skidded to a halt, managing to stay on his feet, and began to climb up the side of the dune as fast as he could, all the while searching for the cause of the explosion.  
  
Another one erupted just behind him and he was propelled upwards until he was kneeling at the top of the dune, the highest hill around the bowl. From there he could see nothing but sand and sky, all uninviting and cold. Karasu let out an uncharacteristically forlorn sigh and crossed his arms over his chest to both warm and comfort himself.  
  
"One of Chitsuko's super-tight hugs would be most desireable right now..." he murmured to himself.  
  
A soft ticking floated into his ears. It was quick and the beat was a bit unsteady, as though it were the ticking of a clock that was slowly winding down. The crow slowly turned his head, his amethyst eyes shining in the dim light as he sought its source. Carefully he got to his feet and turned around to face the dunes beyond.  
  
The ground beneath his feet exploded.  
  
Karasu was throw forward across the dunes at an incredibly high speed, blood and sand flying with him and streaming in his wake. His mind was full of nothing but pain as he was thrown over the sandy hills and face-down into another deep valley between them.  
  
For a long time he did not move as the sand around him was stained with blood. He had endured the blast, but the wound in his side had been reopened along with several new ones on his legs, back, and chest. His clothes were now deeply torn and his hair was thrown over his face.  
  
Is this what my victims felt like? he wondered as his thoughts turned morose. What was going through their minds while I was...?  
  
He wasn't sure if he would like the answer.  
  
Hesitantly he lifted his head up. His surroundings showed no signs of an explosion; it was as if he had ended up eating dirt for no real reason. Angered by this, he struggled onto his knees, gritting his teeth against the pain that shot through his body.  
  
"You must really care for her, to put yourself through all this..."  
  
The crow looked up to come face-to-face with Zoutarou's ghost. He ignored the question and continued to try to pull himself back onto his feet.  
  
"Now now, if you keep moving like that you're going to bleed to death!" the specter taunted, mocking an expression of concern. "You can cuddle up with your precious little fox if you're dead!" Zoutarou laughed, and suddenly his expression became one of exaggerated surprise as though a long-forgotten fact that just dawned on him. "Wait a moment, isn't Kohana Youko Kurama's girl? What would he say if he knew you were frolicing around with his woman?" A wicked grin spread across his face. "You've corrupted the innocent little soul..."  
  
"I have done nothing to her," the crow replied quickly, glaring up at the deranged apparition. "My only purpose is to protect her. I made her a promise... a long time ago..." His voice faded as the memory came back to him...  
  
How adorable and innocent she looked as she sat on the desk before him, blushing, telling him that she didn't understand her own life story... His gentle reply, telling them to be careful and hide his whereabouts so Reikai wouldn't find him until his job was completed... Kurama's reaction as he kissed Chitsuko's forehead... The soft feel of her skin beneath his lips and fingers as he blessed her and gave her his word...  
  
"You have my protection..."  
  
"Well?" Zoutarou folded his arms, his pupiless eyes boring holes into Karasu's figure, still kneeling on the sandy ground before him.  
  
"I would never harm her... She is too dear to me... I am here in Kurama's place... to make sure that is alright... that she is freed from this nightmare..." His eyes narrowed into slits that glittered dangerously as a soft red fire kindled within them. "...To make sure that you are utterly destroyed... once and for all..."  
  
The sadistic ghost held out his hands. "Give me all you've got..."  
  
With a yell Karasu sprang to his feet and flung himself at Zoutarou. A long, loud booming filled the air and the dunes erupted with green and black light as the sound of tinkling glass joined the rolling thunder...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chitsuko was panting now. She had slowed to a walk a long time ago and was still finding it hard to catch her breath. She swallowed hard and turned to look back the way she came. The labyrinth of mirrors stretched limitlessly out behind her, shimmering lightly in the dull glow of Zoutarou's mystical light. The girl had rounded an infinite number of turns, but each one seemed to lead in the same direction; to the left of nowhere. Now she was completely lost, with no clue as to if she was going the right way.  
  
Where were Karasu and Kuronue? What had become of them? Were they safe?  
  
...Was she?  
  
Suddenly a loud scream shook the mirrors around her. Chitsuko whirled around just in time as a girl with blue hair tied into a tight high ponytail darted around the corner, seemingly coming out of another hallway to her right.  
  
"BOTAN?!" Chitsuko did a double take. What was Botan doing in Zoutarou's labyrinth?  
  
...Had Zoutarou gotten her friends too?  
  
"Botan! Hang on! ...Wait up!" Quickly Chitsuko darted forward and around the corner, expecting to see the ferrygirl's retreating back. But instead she was met with a solid glass wall, her dismayed and frightened reflection caught in the middle of it. At the bottom of the mirror, a square hole just big enough for a teenage boy to crawl through opened up into total darkness.  
  
"Did she crawl through there?" Chitsuko thought aloud to herself as she approached the hole. Something dark shone within the entrance of the hole, and Chitsuko ran her fingers through it and lifted it to her face. It was a dark lake red. She brought it to her fingers and sniffed it.  
  
Blood.  
  
At once panic seized her and without thinking she dove through the hole, nearly hitting her head on the mirrored wall above it. Chitsuko found herself in a small crawl space, also lined with mirrors, just big enough for her to get through on her hands and knees. Quickly she moved forward, following a trail of the bright liquid until she came to another hole. This one opened up above her head, and she quickly climbed upwards and into a second space a bit larger than the first. This one twisted like the maze she had just left and was also decorated with pools and smears of blood.  
  
Chitsuko started off again, this time much faster, and another small hit her nose. She brought her face close to a pool of blood on the floor and at once found its source.  
  
"There's more than one person that's hurt..." she murmured as she continued, taking turn after turn through the mirrored crawl space.  
  
A third, larger hole lead her upwards again, this time in a octagonal room with the same mirrored walls as the labyrinth. Looking up, she discovered she was still in the labyrinth; where the sky should have been was a unsettling, inky darkness that brought her no comfort. The trail of blood had stopped her, but strangely there was no sign of anyone around her...  
  
"CHITSUKO! CHITSUKO HELP!"  
  
Chitsuko spun around and cried out. Keiko Yukimura was trapped on the other side of one of the mirrors, pounding frantically on the glass and looking helpless at Chitsuko.  
  
"CHITSUKO! PLEASE! GET US OUT!"  
  
"KEIKO!" Chitsuko ran forward, pressing her hands against the glass to meet those of her friend's. "What happened?! How did you all get here?!"  
  
"Zoutarou!" Keiko sobbed. "Kidnapped... came to rescue... got trapped... OH KAMI, HELP!" the girl babbled inanely, her words disconnected and staccato through her tears.  
  
"Keiko, it's alright, I'll help you guys out of here! Who else is..."  
  
"Hiei!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"He got Hiei!"  
  
"Zoutarou? What did he do to..."  
  
"HE KILLED HIEI!"  
  
Those three words hit Chitsuko's heart like a bullet. "...Wh... What?" she choked out in a whisper.  
  
Keiko held something up for her to see. It was a white bandana, dirty and stained with blood and a clear substance that was unmistakeably eye fluid.  
  
Hiei's bandana.  
  
"Right in his third eye..." Keiko said quietly, holding back tears. "He couldn't move fast enough..."  
  
"No..." Chitsuko shook her head in disbelief. "NO!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Chitsuko..." Keiko opened her mouth to say more, but she stopped abruptly. Her brown eyes widened and she screamed, falling to the floor and writhing around like a fish out of water.   
  
"KEIKO!" Chitsuko shouted, pounding on the glass to get to her. "KEIKO!"  
  
Suddenly Keiko's thrashing stopped and she lay still with her eyes open, blankly staring at the darkness above her. Chitsuko watched in silent horror as warm blood trickled out of the side of her mouth.  
  
Unable to say anything, Chitsuko took one last look at her friend and ran across the room, her vision blinded by hot tears of anger and sorrow. She rounded a corner and found herself in another room, this time square and much smaller. The girl choked when she saw its contents.  
  
Yusuke and Kuwabara were sprawled face-down on the mirrored floor. Blood splattered the walls and floor, cutting off parts of their reflections. Kuwabara was unmoving, but Yusuke raised his head a few inches off the floor. His eyes found the girl and he smiled weakly. "Hey... cutie..."  
  
"Yusuke! Kuwabara!" Chitsuko ran to his side and helped him to roll onto his back. She nearly vomitted when she saw the large hole ripped in his stomach, oozing blood and providing a clear view of his insides. She covered her mouth with one hand and looked aroun for something to bandage him with.  
  
"No..." Yusuke grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly. "I'm not going to make it out of here..." He jerked his head towards Kuwabara. "Don't even look at him.... It's worse than mine..."  
  
"Where...?" she started.  
  
"His face... Clear through to his brain. Surprised he actually had some... the dumbass..."  
  
"Yusuke..." The tears cascaded down her cheeks and she gripped Yusuke's hand tightly.   
  
"Listen... Chitsuko..." His brown eyes locked on hers. "Find Kurama... The two of you... get out of here..."  
  
"Kurama is..."  
  
"Hurry..." He coughed and blood spilled onto his cheeks and chin. "See you... in Spirit World..." And with a sigh his eyes slid shut and his hand went limp in hers.  
  
"No... Yusuke..." Chitsuko let go of him and got back on her feet, backing up until she was against the mirrored wall. "Kuwabara..." She was silent for a long moment as she prayed in her mind. "Please... Let this all... be a nightmare... Please..."  
  
Glass crashed nearby. Murmuring a quick prayer for her deceased friends she ran from the room and slammed into another body. She stumbled to keep her balance and compose herself as she skidded on the blood-smeared floor.  
  
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up into the serene face of Kurama.  
  
"KURAMA!" Chitsuko flung herself at him, her arms already out to embrace her boyfriend as tears clouded her eyes once more.  
  
But she never touched him. She fell flat onto the floor, her arms stretched above her, her eyes wide with shock. She raised her head to look at the other kitsune once more. He was now a few feet away from her; he had stepped back when she ran to hug him. In his hand was his Rose Whip, each tiny thorn glistened like a small knife on its long, thin body.  
  
"Kurama..." she breathed, a sudden pain shooting through her heart.  
  
"Kohana."  
  
The use of her demon name made her flinch. "Kurama..." she repeated as she pulled herself to her knees. "Kurama, what's going..."  
  
"This is your fault you know..."  
  
"...What?"  
  
"Zoutarou kidnapped us because of you. He locked us in this labyrinth to get to you. Hoping we had information for him, he brought us here, torturing and playing with us until he grew bored..."  
  
Chitsuko's tears increased. He was accusing her. "Kurama..."  
  
"The others are dead. Botan, Shizuru, Keiko, Kuwabara, Yusuke... Even Hiei was killed. But I won't die here." He cracked his whip on the floor, startling her. His ivy green eyes narrowed. "All because of you..."  
  
"Kurama, I didn't mean to..."  
  
"SHUT UP!" Kurama yelled as he brought his whip around to meet with the side of Chitsuko head.  
  
Her head began to throb with excruiciating pain as the girl flew sideways, slamming into one of the mirrored walls. She choked on a sob and let herself slump to the floor, wanting to see and hear and feel this world no more...  
  
Kurama had intentionally hurt her...  
  
"I should've killed you when I had the chance..." The redhead cracked his whip again and darted towards her for a second attack.  
  
But he would never hurt me... He would never...  
  
...He loves me...  
  
There had to be some way, some way to tell if this really was Kurama... or an imposter... Thinking fast, she yelled out the first thing that came to mind as she swifty leapt away from his whip, letting it crash into the side of the mirror and shatter it.  
  
"When we get back home... you and I..." she began in her most sincere tone, fighting through her tears to pull her strength and courage together, "promise we can start planting?"  
  
Kurama stopped and turned to look at her. One eyebrow shot up and he looked absolutely disgusted as he answered, "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
Immediately Chitsuko's heart lifted and she smirked. "Number one: Kurama would never talk like that. Not to me, not to anyone. Number two: Kurama promised me that we could plant a rose garden together, just the two of us. And three: Kurama said he never intentionally killed me, he gave me an opportunity to live again. Kurama loves me no matter what, and nothing, NOTHING, would make him turn on me..."  
  
The imposter Kurama's eyes widened and his jaw slackened with shock.  
  
Chitsuko's smile widened into a grin. "Gotcha."  
  
"Stupid little fox..." The fake Kurama gritted his teeth and ran forward with a loud yell, brandishing his whip above his head.  
  
"HYAAAA!" Chitsuko let her raw spirit energy explode from her body and flood the labyrinth with light and power. Kurama's imposter stopped in his tracks as the golden light seep through the mirrors around them and shattered them, one by one. The imposted disappeared in a thick whisp of smoke and wind as the sound of breaking glass surrounded her, followed by two loud shouts from just behind her. Still emitted her power, the girl turned around just in time to see Kuronue and Karasu smash through the mirrors behind her. Karasu was surrounded by a bright green glow and Kuronue's own aura was a deep purple. Both hastened to Chitsuko's side as the walls of the labyrinth began to fall around them and the golden light faded.  
  
Chitsuko fell to her knees and Kuronue kneeled down to put his arms around her. The girl noticed that both chimera and crow were badly wounded and their clothes were beyond repair. A loud cackling filled the air and the three of them turned in time to face the ghost of Zoutarou, shrieking in the middle of a whirlwind of glass and eerie black light.  
  
"I do not plan on letting you escape. You will not slip through my fingers again, Hanyou Kohana! Now... YOU ARE MINE!" 


	22. Chapter 21 The Final Confrontation

O_O Anal bastard, ain't he?  
  
Pay close attention to this chapter. Zoutarou's explaination links to Saga 5: Rememory and all the way back to Saga 1: Kokitsune. But be warned: Just when you think you understand... I'm gonna hit you with another shocker. Just you wait, loyal Kokitsune readers. I do it all for you. ^^  
  
~Lexi-chan~  
  
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Chapter 21: The Final Confrontation  
  
The undead youkai cackled madly as the shattered mirrors swirled like a tempest around them. The soft black light was joined by jagged sparks of violently-bright blue, and the wind continued to pick up speed. Kuronue winced as his broken wing was whipped carelessly around, but kept his hold on Chitsuko tight. She was staring up at Zoutarou, her blue-gray eyes cold and hard with digust, fear, and anger. Karasu stood beside them, his fingers twitching as he longed to hurl another bomb at the clear-eyed demon. He yelled at Zoutarou, his tone bitter and cruel.  
  
"We won't let you have her, you bastard!"  
  
"Oh? Really?" Zoutarou seemed amused, and he smiled cheerfully down at the three of them. "Perhaps I should explain to you my predicament. I wouldn't want you all to think you've been killed in cold blood. Perhaps I should make you feel a little more... comfortable..." He held out his hand, and with a flick of his wrist several long vines of blue light shot towards them from the dark oblivion beyond. They wrapped themselves around Kuronue and Karasu, binding their legs together and sliding around their necks. Chitsuko cried out and grabbed their hands, desperate not to let them be taken away from her. As the tendrils of Zoutarou's power dragged the two youkai away from her, her feet left the floor and she found herself being stretched in two different directions. Kuronue called out her name and she gave both their hands a reassuring squeeze.  
  
"I won't let go..." she murmured.  
  
"Stubborn little brat," Zoutarou remarked coldly. "You are just like your mother..."  
  
He groped at the air in front of her and a searing pain shot through her like a thousand icy knives stabbing her insides. Chitsuko kicked wildly in the air, screaming like an animal as her heart began to burn. It became harder and harder to breath, and a darkness had started to settle over her vision.  
  
"Let go!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Very well then... Baka kokitsune..." Zoutarou dropped his hand to his side and the pain within the girl ceased, leaving her panting and wide-eyed, beads of sweat trickling down her face. The vines of light that held Karasu and Kuronue gave a strong tug, and they were ripped away from her. The two males were hoisted into the air and bound tightly, the tendrils snaking around them until they couldn't move.  
  
"Karasu! Kuronue!" Chitsuko ran at towards the chimera, but he was dragged farther away from her. She turned to Karasu but already the crow was being moved out of her reach. Small tears collecting in the corners of her eyes, and she turned to look at Zoutarou. "They never did anything to you! It's ME you want!"  
  
Zoutarou nodded. "This is true. And do you know WHY?"  
  
"You told me it was because of my blood. That you wanted my blood because my power runs through my veins..."  
  
The youkai looked slightly startled. "I did not tell you that your dear mother and your precious Youko Kurama ruined your life?"  
  
Chitsuko stopped. Her heart nearly did so as well. She dare not move as her eyes locked on the ghost of Zoutarou, hovering in the air several feet away from her. "...What?"  
  
"Oh, well, I guess now is a good time to tell you..." He spoke in a singsong voice, as though he were telling a bedtime story to a young child. "Once upon a time, over five-hundred years ago, there was a female demon and two male demons. The female's name was Misao, and she was the most beautiful kitsune youko in all of Makai. She was partners with the male demons, the chimera Kuronue and the kitsune Youko Kurama. They were thieves and they pillaged and plundered the Makai palaces and temples for all they were worth.  
  
"There was also a man. He was a demon hunter and his name was Jekku Tomoe. He was a human who had been enslaved by powerful demon to hunt and collect bounties in Makai for him. Jekku willingly followed his master along with his partner, who was his best friend and ally... until he met Misao...  
  
"Now Misao had been Kuronue's lover, and the three thieves had been happy together for many long years until the ningen entered their lives. Misao and Jekku fell in love, and soon Misao was abandoning Kurama and Kuronue for rendezvous with Jekku. Around the same time Misao met Jekku, another kitsune youko entered their lives. She went by the name Kohana..." Here Zoutarou paused thoughtfully, as though replaying a fond memory in his mind. "It is her that you are named after, Hanyou Kohana. She was a great friend to your parents, Kuronue... and especially Youko...  
  
"At any rate, Kuronue became depressed and Youko and Kohana fought all the time, because they were hormonal and didn't want to admit that they secretly wanted each other. Kohana caught the eye of Jekku's dear partner, who was a youkai himself but had grown fond of the ningne. But Kohana hated Jekku's friend for some unknown reason and refused to be left alone with him. Eventually everyone went into heat and did everyone else, but that's not the point of this story...  
  
"And then tragedy struck. Misao became pregnant... with YOU... and Kuronue was killed in an unfortunate little accident..." He snicked and looked over at the chimera.  
  
Chitsuko looked over at Kuronue, suddenly remembering that he was there for the entire course of events that Zoutarou spoke of. Now the chimera's expression was blank and pale, and he stared at the floor, unblinking.  
  
"Kuronue was killed during a robbery with Youko. Youko managed to escape with the treasure, an imfamous artifact known as the Mirror of Stolen Sacrifice. Out of pure jealously and hate for Jekku's partner, who had tried more than once to seduce Kohana, Youko used the mirror's unearthly power to steal the boy's soul and suspend it in this accursed world forever!"  
  
"The Mirror of Stolen Sacrifice..." The name was familiar. Chitsuko had overheard a group of the youkai thieves, Zoutarou's minions, talking about raiding the temple and checking to see if the mirror was still there. The raid had been unsuccessful; she remembered one of them saying that the mirror was not there. Maybe it had been destroyed. But now Chitsuko understood; Zoutarou wanted the mirror so he could restore his soul, because Youko had stolen it in defense long ago...  
  
And then the connection clicked in her mind and her next words came out as a loud shriek.  
  
"YOU WERE MY FATHER'S PARTNER?!"  
  
Zoutarou nodded his head, a wide grin spread across his face. "You are clever..."  
  
"Don't tell me anymore..." Chitsuko whimpered. "I don't want to hear anymore..."  
  
Zoutarou laughed. "But it is the truth! I thought you wanted to hear the truth, kokitsune..."  
  
"DON'T CALL ME KOKITSUNE!"  
  
The wind picked up and the shards of glass were whirled around once more, flying dangerously close to the three youkai's flesh. Then, just as suddenly as they started, they stopped. The glass remained suspended in midair, like a pasued snowstorm. They glistened and twinkled dangerous, their sharp edges glinting threateningly.  
  
"I will not give you a choice, Kohana..." Zoutarou's voice was eerily calm. "All three of you will eventually die, but someone has to go first..." He eyed the girl. "You will choose who is the first to die. Your mother's old boyfriend? Or your cheating lover?" He motioned towards Kuronue and Karasu, his smile one of delight.  
  
Chitsuko's heart pounded in her ears. It was a terrible decision to make. She looked from one to the other, holding her breath as her mind raced frantically, searching for her answer. Kuronue and Karasu exchanged a look of panick and turned towards the kitsune.  
  
She's going to pick me, Kuronue thought. We fight too much, she can't stand me...  
  
Come on, Chitsuko... Karasu prayed silently, his eyes locked on the girl's form. You'll figure a way out of this... If I know you like I do, you will...  
  
Chitsuko looked down at her scratched and bruises body. Small streams of blood trickled down her body. She could feel the presence of her power in the liquid as it ran across her skin, her spirit energy silently hovering in the air around her...  
  
And the idea struck her.  
  
She didn't even look at Karasu and Kuronue as she turned to Zoutarou and spoke softly to his amused ghost.  
  
"Me."  
  
Zoutarou raised an eyebrow. "What?"  
  
"Me." She stood resolutely before him, her hands clenched into tight fists. "I will die first."  
  
"NOOOOOOOOO KOHANAAAAAAA!" Kuronue yelled, desperately struggling against his bonds. They responded by tightening, nearly cutting off his circulation, and he could only look on helplessly as Chitsuko faced her doom.  
  
"CHITSUKO!" Karasu fought the vines of light as well, reaching out one arm towards her. "CHITSUKOOO!"  
  
Chitsuko smiled at both of them weakly, then looked back at Zoutarou, but did not address him. In a small voice she said, "I love you guys..."  
  
The wind once again picked up, whipping the mirror shards around them. Two more tendrils of blue light snaked from the heart of the wind to Chitsuko. They grasped her tightly by the wrists and hoisted the horrified girl into the air. For a split second she regretted her words. Had she made the right choice? All at once the broken mirrors rushed as her, crashing against her arms, legs, and torso. She screamed and cried out in pain as glass stuck in her flesh and her body was cut open, the streams becoming rivers of blood as she was continually struck with the glass. She writhed and yelled and tugged at her bonds, but they held her fast, letting her dangle in midair as her body was destroyed. After smashing into her, the broken mirrors fell to the ground in a heap, until the air was completely free of them.  
  
Both chimera and crow looked at the kitsune, who was now panting and wheezing. Her head was thrown back and blood was trickling out of the side of her mouth. Her eyes were closed and was shivering; her clothes had been completely demolished, and now she was wearing nothing but the top half of her ripped shirt, the torn-off sleeves bunched around her wrists, and her black pants, which had been ripped to her upper thighs.  
  
"You are so beautiful when you cry like that..." Zoutarou smiled, a satisfied look on his face. He held out one hand towards her, his palm facing her. "I would have loved to keep you all for my own, but you'll serve a better purpose when you're dead." He chuckled. "Scream for me, kokitsune!"  
  
A black lightning bolt of spirit energy darted out of Zoutarou's outstretched palm and shot Chitsuko straight through the heart.  
  
The girl's head snapped up with a cry and her eyes opened wide as she cried out one last time. The static of the energy crackled in the air over her chest for a few moments before a soft sigh escaped the kitsune's throat and her head lapsed onto her chest. A round circle of wetness seeped through the front of her shirt. She hung in midair, still and quiet, blood dripping from her unmoving form.  
  
Karasu's stopped breathing. Kuronue gritted his teeth and cried, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! KOHANA! NOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Zoutarou simply laughed. "Once I am finished collecting her blood, I will test my new powers on you two. Really, I thought she would have given me a better fight than this. You men must be making her grow soft..."  
  
"You will do no such thing, Zoutarou..."  
  
The undead youkai stopped, turning to stare in Chitsuko's direction. Her body still hung limply by the threads of light, but had she just spoke? He shook his head. "She's dead. No one could survive that..."  
  
"You underestimated me once again, Zoutarou..."  
  
Three pairs of eyes, one clear at water, turned to look at Chitsuko. Silently, the girl raised her head to look at Zoutarou.  
  
Her eyes were a blaze of gold.  
  
Zoutarou moved backwards. "How could you.... I... You...!"  
  
The girl reached into her shirt, right over her heart, and pulled out a small, round compact set with a cracked and broken black gem.  
  
"The Dusk Birth!" Kuronue shouted, small tears of happiness springing up in his eyes. "You used it to block the attack."  
  
Karasu smiled. I always had faith in you...  
  
Zoutarou snarled and gritted his teeth. "You will not live for long!" A torrent of black energy flew at Chitsuko, crackling with static and energy.  
  
Chitsuko suddenly pulled her arms together, ripping free of her bonds, and faced her palms towards Zoutarou, a golden bubbled formed around her and repelled his energy as it struck, keeping her safe within its sphere. Zoutarou growled and attacked again, with the same results.  
  
Chitsuko dropped to the floor, her eyes still alight with her gold spirit energy. Zoutarou remaned floating above her, his colorless eyes wide and malicious.  
  
"How... How could you survive my attacks? What are you?!"  
  
"You know better than I do..." Chitsuko said, her voice even and serene. "But apparantly you don't understand... and now I do. My power, my entire life, was forged of love. That is where my strength lies: in love. I love my friends and they love me, and nothing, NOTHING will keep me from returning to them! I will protect them, even if it means losing my own life!"  
  
Zoutarou's eyes narrowed. "You foolish girl..."  
  
"And now I'm going to finish you off, once and for all, so you can never harm anyone ever again!"  
  
Chitsuko was engulfed in a brilliant explosion of gold light, and then her body was gone. Two silvery eyes pierced through the light and a loud, high-pitched cry flew from an unseen mouth as the light rammed Zoutarou. The apparition was drowned in the torrent of spirit energy and he screamed as Hanyou Kohana's power cut through him, weaving through his spiritual form. Zoutarou's pupiless eyes, clear as water, bulged in his ghostly head as the girl's power flooded him.  
  
"And by the way..." a richer, gentle voice spoke through the maelstrom of power. Hanyou Kohana's voice. "...I always hated your eyes."  
  
Zoutarou's final screams were drowned by the roar of Kohana's crashing power. His ghostly body was torn to shreds and exploded, leaving no trace of a wispy smoke-like soul or bloody remains. The golden light filled the area and Zoutarou's pupiless eyes vanished from view, destroyed along with the youkai's power, will, and soul.  
  
The darkness around them began to crack. Kuronue and Karasu were released from their bonds and fell to the ground just as the golden light faded. Karasu reached up just in time to catch Chitsuko as she fell through the air, still bleeding profusely and weak from her last attack. He held her tightly as Kuronue ran over to the two of them, looking wildly about as the dimension crumbled around them.  
  
"How are we going to get out of here?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
Suddenly a crack of white light shone through the shattering darkness. A sliver of moon became visible, and then the thick black blanket gave way to a sea of navy blue velvet dotted with stars. The shattered mirrors around them vanished and the darkness blew away. The youkai found themselves falling fast, and they hit the ground with a thud, still stunned from the effects of Chitsuko's spirit energy.  
  
Kuronue sat up and looked around. They were surrounded by trees. Above them the crescent moon shone brightly, and stars twinkling in the cloudless night sky. The air around them was warm, almost muggy, A long way off, a thin trail of smoke lifted into the air from a small, familiar-looking house.  
  
They were home.  
  
"What... What happened?" the chimera asked, helping Karasu into a sitting position.  
  
"Zoutarou's dimension... was destroyed..." Chitsuko climbed out of Karasu's arms and got unsteadily to her feet. She was trembling violently, and her bleeding was just beginning to slow down. Karasu and Kuronue both leapt to their feet to help her.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan, are you going to be alright?" Karasu asked softly.  
  
A violent shiver ran down Chitsuko's spine. "This is definitely worse... than menstrual cramps..." she said cynically before she fell to her knees once more and collapsed.  
  
Kuronue caught her and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her unconcious form against her. "She destroyed him..." He rubbed his scratched cheek against hers affectionately. "To think, that this is Misao's baby..."  
  
Karasu smiled softly. "Are you going to be alright, chimera?"  
  
Kuronue looked at him, and for a brief moment sadness shone in his deep purple eyes. Regret, pain... Remorse for the sorrowful days of yesterday, back before nothing matter but what building he was going to raid next... For a long moment their gazes were locked, not saying a word...  
  
And then Kuronue smiled. "Yeah, crow. I'll be alright..."  
  
Then the two youkai trudged off side-by-side towards home, the kitsune cradled in the chimera's arms. 


	23. Chapter 22 Safe and Sound

This is it, the finally chapter of Kokitsune: Revival. Read it with your eyes and hearts.  
  
~Lexi-chan~  
  
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Chapter 22: Safe and Sound  
  
The warm air lay still over Makai. The grass on the ground was a vivid green, flecked with purple and white flowers. Rinku and Jin were outside on the porch, the latter sitting cross-legged on the railing. The Wind Master's bright blue eyes were focused ahead into the dark woods across the clearing and he sat still as stone. Rinku rested his chin in his hands and looked up into the star-filled spring sky.  
  
"A year and two months..." Rinku sighed. "I can't believe... she's..."  
  
"She can't be dead."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Chitsuko can't be dead," Jin repeated, his eyes still focused ahead of him.  
  
"But Koenma said..."  
  
"Forget what ol' Binky Boy said. She can't be dead. She won' let 'erself die..." Jin stood up, his expression set, almost angry. "She wouldn' jus' up and leave like tha'! She'd never go down without a fight... and I've never seen her lose a fight!"  
  
Rinku stared out towards the forest, directly where Jin had been looking. After a long silence he said, "You're right. Chitsuko can't die... She's too... powerful... Too full of life..." Another long pause went by, then he murmured, "I wish she'd come back..."  
  
Something moved in the darkness of the forest. Suddenly both youkai were alert and on guard, standing ready to attack anyone that threatened them or their home. Rinku clenched his teeth and reached into his pouch, his fingers curling around the strings of two of his yo-yos. Jin braced himself for flight, his wide eyes locked on the shapes moving in the woods...  
  
From out of the woods stepped three figures, barely visible in the dim light of the moon. When them came close enough for Jin's squinting eyes to recognize, the Wind Master gave a startled cry.  
  
Kuronue and Karasu walked side-by-side. They were both badly cut and bruised, and from the looks on their faces they were tired beyond measure. In the chimera's arms was Chitsuko, equally bloody, if not moreso, and seemingly unconcious. In her unmoving hand she clutched a small, round object that caught what little light there was and reflected it back at the youkai on the porch.  
  
Jin and Rinku watched, unable to say anything, as the two male youkai approached the house. They stopped on the steps, and the crow smiled weakly at the two of them as he surveyed their astonished faces.  
  
"We're home."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"We were gone HOW LONG?!"  
  
Kuronue stared agape at Suzuki, who sipped his tea calmly across from him. Beside the blonde youkai sat Shishi, and behind them stood Jin and Touya. They were watching the chimera closely, their eyes lingering on the many bandages decorating his body and the sling attached to his broken wing.  
  
"A little over a year." The master of his house took another sip of his tea then put down his mug. "But then again, man-made dimensions always have warped sense of time. It's no wonder you were gone so long... And you're sure she killed Zoutarou?"  
  
"Yeah! Saw it with my own eyes, even ask Karasu! Chitsuko destroyed him. She used the power of Hanyou Kohana and kicked his ass!" He took a slurp of his own tea and smiled at the ones across the table.  
  
"That a girl," Jin said, smiling with pride. "She's a strong one, yup..."  
  
"She's also still sleepin'..." Chuu shook his head as he came into the kitchen. "It's been over a week! How much power did she use?"  
  
"All of it, from what I saw," Kuronue replied.  
  
Shishi chuckled, and then his expression became solemn. "What is this now about you knowing Hanyou Kohana's mother?"  
  
The chimera's face paled slightly and he looked away. He set his mug down on the table and bowed his head slightly so the rim of his tattered hat shielded the sadness in his eyes.  
  
Chuu blinked awkwardly. "Think yeh struck a sensitive spot, Shishi..."  
  
"No... No, it's alright..." Kuronue's voice was calm and soft, the quietest it had been since he first set foot in Suzuki's house. "It doesn't matter now. Misao was better of with Jekku. Kohana would have never been born if she stayed with me... And Kohana, the youko Hanyou Kohana is named after..." He cleared his throat, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and stood up. "...She was better off with Kurama anyway." The chimera circled around the table and left the room. The sound of a door sliding gently shut came to those in the kitchen.  
  
"He's gone out again," Jin remarked, staring where Kuronue had sat.  
  
"Leave him be," Touya said quietly. "He has alot to think about. Karasu said that Kohana's mother had been Kuronue's girlfriend before she met Kohana's father. Apparantly Kuronue was very emotionally attached to her... Either that or the relationship only went one way. And this other Kohana youko... Kuronue must have developed feelings for her as well... but she chose Youko Kurama..."  
  
Shishi sniffed. "And I thought all youko relationships were nothing but mindless sex..."  
  
"Know when to shut up, Shishi." Suzuki rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm going to go check on Chitsuko..."  
  
"No! Yeh shouldn'..." Chuu put a hand on the blonde youkai's shoulder. "Rinku jus' left to do some work on 'is yo-yos. Karasu's in there with 'er righ' now. Best yeh not be disturbin' those two... He's got alot to straigh'en out with 'er..."  
  
"'Straight'n out'?" Jin repeated, blinking innocently. "What's the ol' crow got ta settle with Chit-chan?"  
  
Chuu sighed and smiled wryly. "Don' tell me ya didn' notice..."  
  
Jin cocked his head to one side, his eyes still wide and bright. "Notice wha?"  
  
A sweatdrop rolled down Chuu's temple. "Nevermin'. Jus'... nevermin'..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Clear April sunlight streamed through the window in Chitsuko's room. It had grown a bit dusty, since the girl had been gone for over a year, but the furniture had not been touched. A desk still sat next to the closet, and a new western-style bed had been set up against one wall to replace the old broken futon. Next to the bed stood a dresser of drawers, and on its smooth surface sat the cracked and broken Dusk Birth brooch. On the bed, beneath several downy and woolen blankets, lay Chitsuko, her breathing even and steady, her eyes closed with sleep. Her arms, legs, and torso were decorated with white bandages, a reminder of the numerous wounds she had received during battle. She had not moved in several days, and her hair was an unknotted sea of golden waves on the pillow.  
  
Beside the bed, in a stiff wooden chair, sat Karasu. He wore no mask, and several strands of long black hair hung in his eyes. The shimmering amethyst orbs were focused intently on the girl in the bed as the crow's heart prayed for her to move. He too was bandaged in many places, and all he wore was a pair of faded black slacks, leaving his chest exposed.  
  
"I know you'll be alright," he murmured to her sleeping form. "So much has happened since we've been gone... I wonder how your friends in Ningenkai have been getting along... From what Suzuki tells me, they're okay..." He smiled weakly, but his brief joy faded quickly. His gaze softened and he reached out to take one limp hand laying on the covers in his.  
  
"You've been through so much..." Karasu continued. "It's hard to believe that your ningen body is only eighteen... It seems to me like you've been around forever..." He gave Chitsuko's hand a gently squeeze, then let go and stood up. "You've done so much for all of us..."  
  
Looking down at her, he first noticed the change. Her golden hair was longer than it had been in the labyrinth, and she seemed to have gotten taller. Her body had aged further. He smiled.  
  
They truly had been gone a year.  
  
As he moved towards the door, the crow looked back at her one last time. He murmured, "I bet there it not one of us whose life you haven't changed in some way..." Then he stepped out into the hallway, sliding her bedroom door shut with a soft click.  
  
* * * * *  
  
At dinner, the boys sat around the table in silence. For once, Karasu and Kuronue were sitting next to each other and not bickering about one thing or another. Ever since they had returned from fighting Zoutarou, the two hadn't fought with each other. Not once. Now all eight of them ate their meal in peace, gobbling down rice and nibbling pieces of sushi.  
  
Shishi had opened a bottle of sake, and now it sat on the table, untouched. Everyone's glass was empty; no one had the heart to take the first drink. What good was it to drink and have fun while Chitsuko was still in her comatose-like state? Even Kuronue, normally the avid partier, refused to drink.  
  
At least, not until Chitsuko woke up.  
  
A soft spring breeze slipped through the cracks between the windows and blew into the kitchen, chilling those that kneeled at the table. Rinku shivered and Karasu rubbed one bare arm nervously.  
  
"It's it's colder than it was last year..." Rinku said in an attempt to make conversation.  
  
"Hm," Shishi replied, giving the only response as the others around the table remained silent.  
  
Somewhere in the house, a door slid open. A pair of feet padded softly down the hallway. A moment later, Chitsuko trudged into the kitchen, yawning, her bandaged arms stretched above her heads. She looked around the kitchen and mumbled, "I'm hungry..." before swiping the sake bottle off the table and taking a long swig.  
  
"CHITSUKO!"  
  
Before anyone could say anything about the kitsune's sudden appearance, the girl was squashed against Kuronue's chest as the chimera jumped up from the table and threw his arms around her. He picked her up off her feet and swung her around several times, moaning her name over and over. When he finally set her down, the girl look absolutely startled and quite dizzy.  
  
"Ummm.... Kuronue?"  
  
"YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Rinku, who had gotten noticably taller since their last meeting, sprang at the girl. Chitsuko smiled and hugged him tightly before ruffling his brown hair.  
  
"Of course I'm alright," she replied. "I blatantly refuse to die."  
  
"THAT'S OUR GIRL!" Jin and Touya both gave her a long hug, the Winder Master tossing her into the air and catching her again, followed by Chuu, who nearly crushed her ribs he held her so tight.  
  
Shishi smiled and put an arm around her as Suzuki touseled her golden tresses. "You're crazy... But that's what makes you so special."  
  
"True, true," Suzuki laughed. Then suddenly he eyed Chitsuko suspiciously. "Do you by any chance know what happened to my Fruit of the Previous Life extract?"  
  
"Oh! That... Well..." Chitsuko sweatdropped and offered the bottle of sake to the blonde youkai, tilting her head coquettishly to the side and giggling softly in hopes of escaping his wrath.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So who is this Enki? The one that won the Makai Bujutsukkai?"  
  
Chitsuko set her chopsticks down across her empty bowl and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. While the girl had ate, Suzuki, Shishi, Jin, Touya, Rinku, and Chuu had explained everything that had happened while she was gone. Sensui and his accomplices had been defeated, and everyone in Ningenkai had been safe. A dispute among the rulers of Reikai had been settled with a tournament suggested by Yusuke himself, and the winner had been a youkai named Enki. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Shizuru, and Kurama were safe and living normal lives now. Hiei's whereabouts were unknown, and Botan had returned to work in Reikai.  
  
"He's a good man," Shishi said as he cleared away the dishes and dumped them in the sink. "He'll take care of Makai..."  
  
"The Shinobi still got work, though," Jin said, scratching the back of his head. "Jus' ta make sure tha' ningens don' cross through now..."  
  
Chitsuko blinked, confused. "Ningens? Cross through? How?!"  
  
Suzuki sighed. "After the Makai Bujutsukkai, the barriers between Ningenkai and Makai were dropped. The Shinobi and a group of demons lead by the ex-lord Mukuro are taking care of any humans that may accidentally pass through the gap between the worlds."  
  
"Oooohhh..." Chitsuko nodded her head, understanding coming to her slowly. "So... Alright." She handed her bowl to Shishi and stood up, her eyes scanning the kitchen around her. "Where are Karasu and Kuronue?"  
  
An awkward silence fell over the seven of them. The boys glanced at one another, not wanting to say anything. The chimera and the crow had been unusually silent since their return, often spending time by themselves, isolated from the rest of them. The only times there were seen was when they made their hourly pilgrimages into Chitsuko's room to check on the sleeping girl. They heard nothing from within, but they almost always emerged with solemn, almost sad, looks on their faces.  
  
Finally Rinku spoke up. "Kuronue's on the roof... And Karasu's in his room..."  
  
"I see..." Chitsuko walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the stairs. She was halfway up when Suzuki caught up with her.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"The roof."  
  
"But you're still healing! If you jump into strenuous activities too soon you might..."  
  
"I'll be fine..."  
  
Suzuki stared at the girl for a long moment. She looked so different from when she first came to him, a lost child, scared and lonely in a world she didn't know. Chitsuko had grown to resemble Kohana herself; nimble, graceful, elegantly formed, beautiful. And now she looked more grown up than ever, in her form-fitting long-sleeved red nightgown that stopped at mid-thigh, her wavy golden brown hair falling freely over her shoulders and down her back, her crystalline blue-gray eyes twinkling in the hallway light.  
  
After a long moment, the blonde youkai nodded and said, "Alright..."  
  
She smiled warmly at him. "Suzuki-san?"  
  
"Yes, Chitsuko-chan?"  
  
"...Thank you... for everything..." And with that she retreated up the stairs and out of sight.  
  
Suzuki sighed. "She's safe and sound... at last..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
When Chitsuko climbed out her window and onto the roof, she found Kuronue sitting several feet away, his knees drawn up to his chest, his eyes unfocused as he stared up into the cobalt blue sky. He was absentmindedly fingering his pendant, running his fingers over the smooth, blood red stone. Her heart immediately went out to him; it must have been painful to listen to Zoutarou's story, to learn the truth behind his ex-girlfriend's pregnancy and hear the story of his death repeated to him. Without making a sound, she walked over to him, her feet barely making any noise on the shingled roof.  
  
Kuronue blinked once then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Chitsuko stopped and let out a soft gasp; he was crying. The chimera heard her intake of breath and turned suddenly, his eyes, bright with tears, widening as they focused on her figure.  
  
"Chitsuko-chan, I-I didn't hear you come up..." He wiped at his eyes once more.  
  
"Kuronue-kun..." Chitsuko kneeled down next to him, her hands resting on her thighs. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine..."  
  
"Is this... about what Zoutarou said?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I know it is."  
  
"It's not. Really, it's not."  
  
"Whatever you say, Kuronue..."  
  
They both fell into silence, and Kuronue looked away. He closed his eyes and tugged on the rim of his hat, as though shielding her from his sight would hide his pain from her, his sorrow, his misery. So this is how it had to be. This was how he discovered the truth about Misao's baby...  
  
But the big shocked was that she was sitting right next to him.  
  
Slowly he turned his head to look at her. She was still staring at him, obvious worry on her face. He could see where she resembled her mother; the blue-gray eyes, the golden hair... Even in her ningen body she reminded him strongly of Misao. If Misao and Jekku had not met, Kohana would have never been born... And he would never have found her...  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"Huh?" Kuronue snapped out of his daze in a heartbeat.  
  
"You looked so sad just now... Are you alright?"  
  
Kuronue didn't answer her question. He simply continued to stare at her, stare into those depthless stormy eyes of hers as she gazed innocently back at him. It was a lose-lose situation, from the way he saw it... Kohana's birth was what kept Misao away from him and with Jekku. But if Misao and Jekku had not met, Kohana would not have been born... He would have never been able to keep Misao in the first place, and the girl kneeling before him was a painful reminder... But she was also a light in the dark for him, someone who cared about him, someone he could turn to... someone...  
  
Chitsuko started slightly as a memory came back to her. It seemed ancient, almost beyond reconing, but the picture was as clear as though it had happened yesterday...  
  
Over a year ago, at the foot of the gigantuan staircase in Yomi's building. The place was empty, and Kuronue had flown there with her on her back to ask the Makai lord for information on the Sensui Tunnel. He had complained he was tired, and she had poured out her heart to him, every pain and sorrow that had clenched her heart since she had first discovered her true identity almost two years ago. His response was one that she had not expected; he had pulled her close to him and kissed her, briefly and gently.  
  
Now his deep purple eyes were shimmering the same way they had done back then, only now they were brimming with tears. And yet she longed to ask him...  
  
"Kuronue... A year ago... back at Yomi's place... Why did you..."  
  
"You'll be better off with Kurama," the chimera said suddenly, turning his face away and cutting her off abruptly. Something clear and tiny slid down his cheek, glinting like a shard of crystal in the moonlight.  
  
"Kuronue-kun... you're..."  
  
"I'm not crying."  
  
"...Yes you are."  
  
"No I'm not."  
  
"Yes, you..."  
  
"NO I'M NOT, DAMNIT!" he cried, cutting her off for a second time and whirling around to grab her by the arms. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin and gripped his upper arms, her fingers closing around his tones muscles. "Stop being so... so... UNGH!" He clenched his teeth as two more tears rolled down his face. He looked down at her, her shining eyes wide with apprehension and worry. He felt ashamed to be crying in front of her like this, embarassed that he had let his true feelings show...  
  
"Stop it... You'll make me..." His hysteria slowly began to calm down. "You'll make me..." A sigh escaped his throat and he quickly closed the distance between them, sealing off the girl's anxious reply with a kiss.  
  
Chitsuko froze, unable to move or respond as Kuronue brushed his lips softly against hers. It was longer than the first kiss, and warmer. She remained wide-eyed, afraid to moan in protest or pull away.  
  
At last Kuronue released his hold on her. He surveyed her, his eyes still wet with tears, focusing intently on her crystalline hues. He pressed his lips together, almost fearful of what her reaction would be...  
  
And then Chitsuko started to giggle.  
  
"What?" Kuronue asked, taken aback by her inappropriately-timed laughter.  
  
Her giggling became full-out laughter, and she slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle herself.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked, confused. "Why are you laughing?"  
  
"It's j-just..." she stammered. "It's just that... Well..." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I got a clear view up your nose while you were doing that."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
And then the chimera forgot all his worries and anxieties, catalyzed by the kitsune's sweet innocence. Whether she was avoiding the subject or truly found his display of affection funny, he didn't care. The two sat on the roof talking and laughing far into the night.  
  
* * * * *  
  
April became May, and the days grew longer and warmer. Chitsuko began to heal and became her old self again, prancing about the house spreading her happiness with the other eight inhabitants. She began to train again, talking the katana Hiei had given her outside into the clearing to practice, whacking trees and slicing away at their leaves and branches. Her white rose remained in a vase of water on her windowsill; she had learned to manifest and summoner her plants on the spot rather than toe them around with her all the time, a clear sign that she had gained control of more of her power.  
  
There came a day when the world was perfect. The grass was perfectly green, the sky perfectly blue, the air warm and carrying a soft breeze that tickled the cheeks and ruffled the hair. A perfect day to just sit around and do nothing.  
  
Chitsuko quickly dressed herself in shorts and a t-shirt, comfortable and easy to move around in, then grabbed the Dusk Birth off the table. Suzuki was going to try and help her fix it before she returned it to King Enma. The girl felt bad about breaking the precious artifact. Once the brooch was in her pocket she headed to the door that connected her room to Karasu's. Knocking gently, she waited for a reply and received none. After a moment she slid the door open and stepped inside.  
  
Karasu was standing before the door that opened out into the hallway, his hand resting on its smooth surface. Behind him, his bed was made and the curtains were shut tight against the bright morning sun. He carried his mask in his hands and his eyes looked startled, almost shocked, to see Chitsuko standing there.  
  
"Karasu-kun? Where are you going?"  
  
I always dreaded this moment... Karasu thought as he turned around to face her. What made me think running from it would make it any better?  
  
"...Karasu?" Chitsuko took a few steps towards him.  
  
The crow sighed. "I have to leave, Chitsuko."  
  
"What?! Why? Where are you going?"  
  
"I have to go back to Reikai. King Enma gave me my body back on the condition that I would return to Reikai once I had helped you... I'm sorry Chitsuko."  
  
"You can't go!" She continued towards him, her hands clasped to her chest and her eyes shining with oncoming tears. "I still need you, you can't leave!"  
  
"It's alright, Chitsuko-chan..." Karasu reached out and put his arms around her comfortingly, hugging her tightly to his chest. She cuddled into his shirt, small wet blotches appearing where her tears dotted the fabric. It pained him to see her cry. The last time he had seen her full-out cry was just before his soul was dissolved and he faded into nothingness, during their battle with the renegade demon Gouka. He couldn't leave her like this... He just couldn't.  
  
Slowly, gently, he took hold of her chin and tilted her tear-stained face up towards his. He met her eyes and smiled as he wiped away her tears with his free hand.  
  
"No matter where you go... No matter what you do... I love you, Kokitsune..."  
  
He nuzzled her cheek affectionately, then turned her head so her mouth met his. He felt her tense under his touch, then relax as his hand moved from her chin to wind itself in her long hair. He kissed her slowly to let her know that his words were sincere and to savor the moment... her taste, her scent, her presence...  
  
Karasu's heart began to ache and he knew that if he went any further things would only end in pain and disaster. He gently pulled away from her but kept his face close to hers as he ran his fingers down one tear-stained cheek.  
  
"Do not cry..."  
  
She sniffed, and he took her hand and lead her out of the room and downstairs. Suzuki, Shishi, Jin, Touya, Rinku, Chuu, and Kuronue were already waiting by the front door; they knew Karasu had to leave sometimes, and they were afraid of the slump it would put Chitsuko in. But when they saw her enter with Karasu, she was holding herself upright and unwavering as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. In the doorway stood Ayame, holding her oar in one hand. She nodded politely when she saw Chitsuko, and the girl quickly ran forward to place the Dusk Birth in her hand.  
  
"It's a little broken... But I'm sure King Enma can do something about it." She smiled slightly. "At least it's not in the hands of those thieves anymore..."  
  
Ayame smiled and nodded again as she slipped the brooch into her pocket. "I will return with King Enma's next assignment shortly." She then turned to Karasu. "You've been here longer than necessary. Are you ready to go back?"  
  
"Yes," was the crow's reply. He turned to the girl beside him and took her face in his hands, his shimmering amethyst eyes locking on her own crystalline blue-gray hues. "I will always be watching over you, Kohana-chan..."  
  
Fresh tears flooded from her eyes, and she nodded weakly before Karasu leaned in and pressed his lips against hers one final time. Then he nodded a good-bye to the other youkai and stepped outside with Ayame. Both ferrygirl and crow climbed onto her oar and flew away, up into the clouds and out of sight.  
  
Chitsuko stepped out onto the porch, leaning against the railing as she watched them go. She sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. A strong wind picked up, whipping her hair around her head, and she looked up into the clear blue sky. She inhaled deeply and a smile came to her face a warmth spread through her heart. She was free from Zoutarou's terror, and she had finally learned the truth about her family's horrible past... And now she was safe and sound, alive and ready to complete her assigment for King Enma until he was ready to send her home.  
  
"I pray that you are safe, Kurama..." she murmured as thoughts of her love flooded her heart. She pressed her hands to her mouth and kissed them, then held them out to the wind as it swept over her and carried her affections, hopes, and prayers out over the Makai wilderness. 


	24. Epilogue Life Goes On Kurama's Instinc...

Epilogue: Life Goes On - Kurama's Instinct  
  
It had been over a year since Koenma told them all she was dead, and still the youko was not convinced.  
  
Kurama bid good-bye to Shiori and closed the door behind him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he headed down the sidewalk in the direction of Kuwabara's house. The Makai Bujutsukkai had ended over three months ago, and Yusuke had been gone for that period of time. He had told them that it would be three years before they saw him again, and Keiko was at her wits end worrying about him. Kuwabara was preparing to apply to Tokyo University, a big step for him, and had been focusing intently on his grades since the tournament's end. Botan was in Reikai again, working with Koenma, and King Enma had finally returned from a long absence to train his son properly in the art of ruling Reikai. Hiei had gone off to Makai to work with a former misstress of his and had shown no sign of returning to Ningenkai or the former Reiki Tantei's company. And Kurama was now working with his new stepfather, Kazuyuu, in his antique dealing company. His ningen mother, Shiori had remarried and now Kurama was graced with a younger stepbrother, also named Shuichi.  
  
But he was not convinced that Chitsuko was dead.  
  
Koenma had told them that Reikai lost all trace of her spirit energy. Yet in Kurama's heart she was still there, beating as strong as ever and connecting her love to his. He would notice if she was gone, notice if she had ceased to exist... He didn't believe Koenma, but he wouldn't admit it to the others. The emotions raging through his heart were too complicated and confusing for them to understand...  
  
A heavy wind picked up and Kurama stopped in his tracks. The wind carried something, something warm and gently, crackling with energy and a hint of hope. It was a familiar feeling, a familiar presence, and with it came a soft pressence and the scent of fresh roses...  
  
"Chitsuko..." he murmured, then turned to face the wind. From hundreds of thousands of miles away, in another place, another dimension altogether, he felt her.  
  
She was not gone. And when she returned to him, he would never let her go. He would hold her in his arms and keep her beside him, telling her how much he truly loved her...  
  
Forever...  
  
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THREE DOWN, TWO TO GO!!!  
  
Thank you so much for sticking with Chitsuko's adventures this far! Stay tuned for saga 4, Liability, coming in about a week or so, depending on how much homework I get.  
  
Thank you to ALL of the loyal Kokitsune reviewers and fans out there!  
  
And SPECIAL THANKS to Kaeru Soyokaze, who shares my love for our characters and is a HUGE support and friend to me. Arigatou Kia-chan. Ai shiteru. =^^=  
  
~Lexi-chan~ 


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